Collision
by taytayfanatical
Summary: It's Charlotte Kade's senior year of high school, and she's ready to graduate. Of course, when you're a superhero, things are a bit different. But Charlie's still a teenager. And life is going to throw one major curve ball at her. *Rewritten*
1. Chapter 1: First Day of School

My alarm clock went off, signaling that the day had begun, and I was to wake up and get ready for school. Today was the beginning of a new school year. My senior year, to be exact. I was going to make this year count. I was going to dress to impress, especially now that I'd finally shed my baby fat and had gone through a growth spurt this past summer. I felt really good about myself, a definite first for me.

I ended up dressing in a bright red high-waist skirt, and an off-the-shoulder white shirt. I slipped on some white Vans and went downstairs to eat some breakfast. Mom was getting my brothers ready for school. Sam was in kindergarten, and Ben was in second grade. My two brothers were growing up so fast. I ate some oatmeal and brushed my teeth, then proceeding to put makeup on.

"Charlie, are you almost ready?" Scott, my stepfather, was going to drop me off at the bus stop on his way to work.

"Almost!" I called back. I quickly brushed my dark brown hair and finished putting mascara on my already long eyelashes. I grabbed my bag, and followed Scott into the garage. We got into his yellow Porsche and drove off.

Scott was a Super who controlled light, but on the sidelines sold cars. Mom was also a Super, although her abilities were often compared to that of a Siren. She had unearthly beauty, and could persuade people to do things with her voice. It was cool until she started using her abilities to get me to do my chores or homework. Then it was cheating her way through motherhood.

My own ability had nothing to do with my mother's. I didn't have her famous beauty, or her gorgeous voice. My power was all my own, and I treasured it above everything. I could control water, and all aspects of it. It was a difficult element to master, but I was near to perfecting the art. "Are you on duty today?" I asked Scott.

"I'm always on duty."

"You know what I mean." Scott grinned.

"Yeah, I do. There hasn't been much going on, unless you count the giant robot this morning, but the Commander and Jetstream took care of it." I nodded.

"I just want to graduate so I can do stuff like that."

"I know, Charlie. But give it time, and soon you'll be off saving the world." He pretended to tear up. "My little girl is getting so big." I laughed as I got out of the car. "Bye! Have a good day!"

"Bye Scott, see you later." I stood on the sidewalk awaiting the bus as two people approached me. One looked like a hippie, though less rebellious against society, and the other looked like the all-American boy. They looked anxious as they waited for the bus. Freshmen. I could tell already. "Hey, you guys new to Sky High?" They nodded. "I'm Charlotte Kade. But people call me Charlie." They both shook my hand.

"Will Stronghold." All American boy.

"Layla Williams." Hippie-girl. The bus arrived and we all scrambled to get on.

"Hi, Ron." I greeted. He nodded at me. I was probably the only one who made legit conversation with him.

"Is this the bus to Sky High?" I rolled my eyes, knowing what speech was about to come next. I knew Ron too well.

"Sh! Are you crazy? I guess you want every super villain in the neighborhood to know we're here." He squinted as Will and Layla tried to make their way to find a seat. "What's your name, freshman?"

"Uh, Will. Will Stronghold." Ron gulped.

"Son of the Commander and Jetstream?" Ah, that's why his name sounded familiar. Will nodded nervously as Ron grinned and stood up. "Everyone, this is Will Stronghold. My name is Ron Wilson, bus driver. If there's anything I can do to make your journey more comfortable, don't hesitate to ask. You two," he gestured to two students sitting in the front seat, "change seats for Will Stronghold."

"It would be an honor." A geeky kid in orange stated. His voice sounded a little too feminine. Apparently his balls haven't dropped yet.

"No, it's fine. You don't have to." Aw, Will was one of those guys.

"Oh, I want to." Orange kid protested. "You're third generation, man." Will sighed. "Magenta, get up." Purple girl scoffed.

"Why? He only needs one seat."

So he can sit with his girlfriend." Layla grinned.

"Layla? No, she's just my friend." Their banter made me smirk.

"Yeah, totally. He's like my brother." I had put in my ear buds, but could still hear the conversation through the music. Damn Manchester Orchestra for not being loud enough.

"Oh, well, in that case, I'm Larry." An even dorkier kid stood up to introduce himself to hippie girl. I gave a look to Ron that mentally told him to start the bus. I was ready to get to school. I just wanted to get there to hang out with my friends. Ron nodded in understanding and the two freshmen took seats next to a couple comrades and began their own conversation. I got lost in my own little world of music as it went from Indie to old-school rap. The bus lurched to a stop as we picked up the last kid.

"Sorry! All right. That's everyone." He dramatically switched his cap and changed the bus title on the side and began driving again. "Next stop: Sky High." We took the usual bridge route and the freshmen were looking anxious. There was one junior, another senior on my bus, and no sophomores. We were used to this, and found it amusing that in only a few moments, the newbies would be freaking out. It started when the seatbelts strapped around our chest. "Hang on, back there. We're going off-road." We flew off the bridge and all the freshmen started screaming. My stomach lurched to my throat as adrenaline rushed through me. It never got old. But then the engines kicked in, and we began flying toward the school.

"Freshmen." I muttered. Ron began slowing down as we approached the school.

"There she is, Sky High." He then began going through protocol, explaining what was holding the school up, and why it was in the sky in the first place. "Smooth and easy." He came to a bumpy landing, making the passengers groan. "Sorry!" The students practically rushed to get off the bus.

"Bye, Ron. See you later."

"See you, Charlie."


	2. Chapter 2: A History Lesson

I pranced off the bus to find my small group of friends. The freshmen were being rounded up by Gwen, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her girly antics. Gwen and I were not friends, quite bluntly stated. We weren't acquaintances either. In fact, I tried to stay as far away from her as possible. My excuse was that I couldn't hold a decent conversation with her to save my life, which was true. But the back story was something else entirely.

"Hey, Warren." I greeted one of my friends. He was the kind of guy one usually saw by himself. He looked like he had popped out of a Pierce the Veil music video. But I didn't let that bother me. We've been best friend since elementary school. He nodded in acknowledgment. I had to take what I could with him. He was never the one to say much. He used his power to get his point across. He controlled fire. It was really cool. That is, until you got on his bad side. I'd had to mediate a few fights between him and intimidated students.

"You look nice today." He commented oddly. I cocked my head at him, curious at his complimenting outburst.

"Thanks." I couldn't help but smile. I had taken it upon myself to research fashion ideas and get a few nice things for this year. But Warren wasn't that kind of guy who noticed that.

"Charlie!" A blonde flocked to my side, chipper as could be.

"Hey, Beth. What's up?" Beth began talking about her summer in Spain, and how many cute guys she'd met, and _been_ with. My best friend had a knack for talking your ear off. And that wasn't even her power. She was a telekinetic. It was really cool. I wish I could make things do stuff for me.

"Anyway, how was your summer?" She asked after what seemed like hours of talking. Warren smirked as Beth checked her nails, almost not interested in what I had to say. I shrugged.

"There's not much to it. I slept, worked out, ate, and tanned. That's about it. Scott and my mom had to stay home for duty."

"Oh, my God, Charlie! I almost didn't notice you lost weight!" I raised my left eyebrow. "And you are darker. You look pretty." I pursed my lips. Beth didn't usually think before she spoke. "Oh, not that you weren't pretty before, it's just that you…"

"It's cool, Beth. I know what you mean." The bell rang and the two of us headed for class, Warren walking silently behind us. He'd gotten taller over the summer, and his hair had grown a bit. He looked good.

Warren and I had first period together. It was Mad Science with Dr. Medulla. That guy was one of the most serious guys I knew. But last year, I made him laugh when I joked about capes and tights. I kid you not.

"Welcome back, students." He began in a monotone. "I don't know what you did over the summer, nor do I care. Class has begun, and I expect you all to pay attention." Science wasn't really my thing, but I wanted to graduate. So I did pay attention…along with doodling in my notebook. Snowflakes adorned my notebook, along with sea critters and raindrops. I looked up to see Lash staring at me. I gave me a confused look before he smirked and looked back up at Medulla.

_Weird_.

When I looked back down at my notebook and actually began taking notes, I noticed something on Warren's wrists (he had taken the liberty to sit next to me upon walking in). I looked a bit closer and saw a flame. It was a tattoo of his ability. I smiled, obviously now wanting one. But how did one design a tattoo of water? Warren noticed my awareness of his ink and showed me his other wrist. It was a matching symbol.

"I didn't know you had tattoos." I whispered.

"I got them over the summer. It completes the image, don't you think?" I grinned and nodded. Then I noticed Lash staring at me again. I pulled my shirt up out of habit, feeling self-conscious about my body. Mom did something right in giving me her voluptuous body, but it got out of hand sometimes. Warren was good at reading me, and noticed my habitual silence of thinking. "Hey, stop thinking too much." He didn't need to elaborate. "You do look nice today." I smiled.

"Thanks, Warren."

Lunch came pretty quickly, and the lines were slow, due to the freshmen not knowing what they wanted. It was kind of annoying, but I had to cut them some slack, seeing as how I was a freshman once upon a time. I got my hero sandwich and made my way to sit with Beth, only to have her table occupied by two other girls, and two guys flirting with her. I sighed in agitation and sat next to Warren, who was busy staring at something. I looked in his gaze and saw Will Stronghold. I snorted. Warren looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Cool down, Warren. Kid doesn't know shit." Warren just rolled his eyes as the conversation about him kept on going. The freshmen weren't being very discreet about it. Will looked over at him and Warren kept glaring. I took a drink or orange juice before speaking. "Keep doing that, and I'm going to douse that snazzy jacket you're wearing." I knew it got to him. He started eating when I said that. "So how was fourth period?" We had the first three hours together, but fourth hour, we separated ways. I had math, and he had gym. My silent friend didn't speak. "That bad, huh?"

"Some people still don't know not to mess with me." Was all he said. "I don't want to start trouble, but-"

"But you usually do." I finished for him, smiling to let him know I was teasing. "Don't worry. It was gym. I'm sure Boomer didn't do anything." Warren shrugged. That usually meant that I was right.

After lunch, Warren and I headed to English. We had that class with Beth, which meant that the three of us would not be paying attention. Warren and I would have to listen to Beth. We passed Will, Layla, and some bright kid and Gwen. Gwen seemed to practically be sexing Will up, and Will seemed to be having some sort of mental orgasm.

"You know, when seniors try to get with freshmen, it just goes to show how desperate once can be." Beth stated loudly. Gwen took a moment to roll her eyes before turning back to her victim.

"Beth, you are completely immature. You know that, right?" I asked.

"Yep. That's why you keep me around, for the demeaning comments I give to people." She stated perkily. Warren seemed to give me a look that stated 'she's your friend, not mine'. I just gave him a playful shove.

English wasn't that spectacular. Sure, it was one of my favorite subjects, but first days were almost always boring. History was where it got interesting. Warren headed to math as Beth and I journeyed to History. We had taken American History last year, and World History sophomore year. This year was Super History. Not where everything was grand, or super, but it was the history of superheroes and super villains. I was kind of excited. We had a new teacher teaching this course, and I hoped he wouldn't waste time with the whole 'getting to know each other' junk. I wanted to delve right in.

"Good afternoon, I'm Mr. Payne." He stood around six feet, and was a brunette with brown eyes. He was young, and kind of attractive, in the way that has to grow on you. "We're just going to skip the introduction, and cut to the chase."

"I already love you." I blurted out. The class snickered and I blushed. Mr. Payne chuckled.

"Wow, and after two sentences. I'm on a roll." He joked, making me feel a bit better. "We're going to be talking about the heroes, and then get into the villains. The first section is about the deceased and missing."

_Hm. Sounds interesting. Maybe I should take notes_.

"But perhaps I should start with how we humans got these abilities. Does anyone know?" A few people raised their hands. Payne called on one.

"It has something to do with genetics. Like chromosomes or something. Doesn't it have to do with the chromosome in the sperm?"

"What is this, biology?" Beth asked arrogantly.

"No, Mark is right. But there is also the classic radioactive spider and vat of toxic waste." Payne grinned. Mark looked confused at the teacher already knowing his name. "Sorry, whenever someone says something, I automatically know everything about the person." We all blushed and sank down into our seats. "At least the basics." He added quickly. "I have to concentrate to learn absolutely everything." We were a bit relieved after that. "Anyway, Mark's right. The genetic for our abilities comes from the male chromosome. How many of you have two super parents?" Only seven people raised their hands. "And the rest of you probably have a father who is a super, am I right?" The rest of the class nodded.

"Well, I know that my father is a super, and my mom is a carrier. Does that count?" Payne nodded.

"It could count toward what your ability may be, Beth." He carried on about genetics for a few minutes before carrying on. "All right, now that we've covered that, we have somewhere to start. Obviously, not all heroes are invincible. After all, we all have our weaknesses. And some heroes go into action, and don't come back. It's something that happens to the best of heroes." He looked knowingly at Beth, who had lost her father when she was twelve. A villain had used something to backfire abilities, and Beth's father had been crushed from Earth. Elements were very wonderful powers, but we had to be extremely careful with them. Something wrong could happen at any time. "Not to mention some heroes are used for information, and go missing for up to years at a time."

"Didn't that only happen to one super?" Another guy asked.

"No, it's happened on multiple occasions, but we've always been able to find them. But you're on the right track. One super managed to go missing, and is still missing today." We all were interested now. "His power was water. He could control it to do extraordinary things. He was one of the best Elementals recorded in Super history. Poseidon is a legend."

"Why have I never heard of him?" I asked.

"Maybe you should ask your mom. Vixen worked with him, Charlie."

_Wait, what?_

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**Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait. With graduation, prom, and the musical coming up, I've been very busy. Rest assured, my avid readers, that I will try updating every Friday night from now on_. _Thanks so much for being patient, and for keeping up with me throughout all this madness of rewriting my stories, and coming up with new ideas. You are all amazing. I hope you keep reviewing, as it makes me very happy to see that people actually read this stuff, and they actually like it. :D**_  
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	3. Chapter 3: Arguments

"Oh, my God! Mr. Payne is so hot!" Beth gushed once we were out of the classroom.

"You do know that he's going to know what you think about him, right? Whenever you open your mouth, he's going to know." She thought for a moment, and then shrugged.

"Whatever. He probably already knows how good-looking he is. It's not like my opinion would make a difference." I rolled my eyes. "I'll see you later, Charlie. I'm headed to Supers 101." Beth had decided to take that class first semester. Warren and I were taking it after winter break.

"All right, see you." I made my way to Powers 101. You'd think they'd be a bit more original with their classes. But I guess lack of formal education made it that way. I slipped into the class and saw that Warren had this class too. I sat next to him and got my notebook out, doodling already. "What's this class about?"

"Powers. What do you think?" I shrugged.

"What about them? Do we learn how to control them? Or how to magnify them? What's the curriculum for this year?" Warren shrugged.

"I didn't read the handbook thing." He told me. "I just know it's a required class."

"Oh. Right." Was all I could say. The teacher walked in and began the introduction to the class. She went through what we'd be learning, and the projects we would do. She also did a little game so we could learn about our classmates a bit more. Two truths and a lie. It was kind of typical, but it was fun, too. "My dad is Lumière, I have a dimple on my shoulder, and there is an age difference of eight years between me and my younger sibling."

"Heroes either have one child, or reproduce like rabbits. There's no way there's an eight year difference." Some chick stated.

"You calling me out?" I teased.

"Who has a dimple on their shoulder? That's just weird. That one's the lie." I didn't let anything on.

"Well, Miss Kade?" The teacher, Mrs. Nox asked.

"My dad isn't Lumière. He's my step-dad. He and my mom got married and had my brother a year later. That's why there's such an age difference." Everyone 'oohed' and 'aahed'. Warren was next. I thought his would be pretty typical.

"I work at The Paper Lantern, I'm half Cherokee, and I've known Charlotte since elementary school." The class was silent. Everyone only knew of one truth, and that was that we'd known each other for almost ten years. No one dared call Warren out on his lies. He sighed. "I'm not half Cherokee." Everyone nodded and they moved to the next person.

"I didn't know you worked at The Paper Lantern." I told him. He nodded.

"Since the beginning of summer." I cocked my head.

"Why does no one inform me of when something happens anymore? I feel so out of the loop." My dark friend raised an eyebrow.

"What loop? Beth's loop revolves around her, and you and I barely count as a loop."

"You can still loop two people together." I reasoned. He shrugged.

"Whatever. It's just to help support my mom and me. Money's been tight lately." I nodded, feeling a bit bad because it hadn't been for my family. I mean, Scott was a car salesman, and mom wrote for the gossip column for the Maxville Paper. We never had to worry about him losing a job, or us going in debt. But I guess with Warren's mom working as a secretary at the hospital, it wasn't enough to support two people, and jail taxes. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"The look you give people when you're feeling guilty."

"Oh. Sorry." He didn't say anything. He never did.

I walked home from the bus stop and found my mom gone, probably picking up my brothers. Scott wouldn't be home until nine, so I went into the kitchen, ate an apple and started writing. They never gave homework on the first day back, so I had all the free time in the world.

"Hey, sweetie. How was your first day?"

"It was good. Beth and I have a couple classes together, and Warren and I have the rest of them together." She nodded. Mom had to be the only adult I knew who didn't reprimand me for being friends with Warren Peace. She'd been a friend to his father before he turned into a villain and had had a hard time with helping to put him in prison. But she knew that a child didn't always turn out like their parents.

"That's good. Anything interesting happen?"

"The Commander and Jetstream's son is a freshman now. Warren didn't exactly take an immediate likeness to him. It was fun threatening him during lunch."

"Who? The freshman or Warren?" I laughed.

"Warren. I just threatened to use my abilities on that slick jacket of his. Sobered him up pretty good." Mom just laughed. "Hey Ben, Sam. How was school?"

"It was good." Ben replied. His grammar was getting pretty good as a barely second grader. "My teacher is pretty." I laughed. I could already see Ben being a heartbreaker in high school.

"What about you, Sam?"

"It was good. My teacher wasn't pretty." I snickered as mom scolded him. "But she's nice." He quickly added sweetly.

"Hey, mom? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure. Is something wrong?" I thought about what I was going to say.

"No, not necessarily. I'm just curious about something." We sat down in the nice living room, facing each other. "Today, in history, we went over the Supers. The ones that were deceased, or missing." Mom shifted.

"What about them?"

"Well, Mr. Payne talked about one specific one. Poseidon." She shifted again. "And when I told him that I'd never heard of him, he told me to talk to you about it, since you worked with him once upon a time." She scratched the back of her neck.

"Yeah, Poseidon and I worked together. It didn't last very long. There were too many differences between us." I nodded. Mom tended to clash with a lot of people, mainly due to her hot temper, stubbornness, and impatience with unintelligent people. Traits she passed on to me.

"What made you guys go your separate ways?" She faltered.

"I don't think I ever prepared for this conversation." She admitted. "It's something I hoped I would never have to tell you." My left eyebrow rose. "I know this may be difficult for you, but bear with me. We made quite a few mistakes while we worked together."

"Um…mistakes? What are you talking about? I just wanted to know why you've never talked about him. You've talked about all your other co-Heroes. Why not Poseidon? It's kinda cool that he and I share powers."

"See, that's the thing. There's a reason for that." She gulped and stared at me, her green eyes bore into my blue ones. Then, realization hit me.

"Is…is Poseidon my real dad?" She nodded. My jaw fell to the floor. "And you never told me about him because of that?" She nodded again. "Why? How did you think I'd react?" My irritation was acting up again; my hands moist, itching for some water to control.

"Like this." She replied.

"Well, yeah, I'm acting like his now. Because I'm seventeen, and you never bothered to share information with me about my biological father." I practically exploded. "I mean, you lied to me. You told me he split because he didn't want a daughter. Is that true?"

"No. It's not. And Charlie, don't yell at me."

"Why not? I'm mad! And when you're mad, you yell!"

"Charlotte! Stop yelling!" She Sang.

_Damn. Now I had to follow her orders._

"Why did you let me believe that I wasn't good enough for my father? Because when I was little, and Scott wasn't around, it hurt." I stated calmly, although inside, my powers were thriving to burst through and hurt something. Mom had told me that my real father hadn't wanted a child, therefore, he split, apparently not having an interest in being a 'daddy'.

"But that's just it. Scott came around, and you had a father who loved you. I thought that that's all you needed."

"Yeah, I know, Mom. I have Scott. But that's different from having a biological father. When I was little, I always thought there was something wrong with me because my dad didn't want me. I don't know how to explain those kinds of emotions, because you always knew both parents. I always kind of wanted to know who my dad was. And now I only know because someone who barely knows me knows my past better than I do. I mean, how many other people know who my real father is? And how did he go missing? When did that happen? What happened between you two? I want to know!" Her ability was wearing off on me, and I was back to yelling.

"Only the supers know who your real father is, and obviously Scott. A villain captured him, and he never showed up. God only knows if he went evil, or if he's dead. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Yes it does! Because now that I know small fragments of the truth, I want to know more! And you're the only one who knows enough to tell me!"

"Your father went missing while I was still pregnant with you, and I hated every moment of him being gone. He and I weren't married, and we argued more than I can tell you. We clashed, but were too attracted to each other, and in love, to separate. I wanted to leave after a while, but when I got pregnant, I knew I had to stay."

"You didn't want me, did you?" It was like a slap in the face. Mom sighed, not wanting to have this conversation, but we both knew it was necessary.

"No. I didn't." She told me softly, though honestly. "You affected my abilities, and I couldn't go out on field missions. I had to stay home, and make sure you were safe while your father got to go and save the world." She told me. "I hated the fact that he got me pregnant because it changed everything. I'm nothing like I used to be."

"Oh, so sorry for the inconvenience." I stated sarcastically. "Sorry you got knocked up by your idiot of a boyfriend, and you couldn't save the world anymore." I stood up, too angry to do anything else.

"Charlotte, come back here!" Her ability didn't do anything on me. I almost didn't hear her, my rage was bubbling up so high. I practically flew out the door and ran to the river nearby All I had to do was manipulate it.

_Bliss._

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**C'mon, guys. I know you like this story if you're still reading. :) And I like reviews from my readers. So click the button and tell my why you like it. Do it to humor me. It's good for my ego :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Drama Queen

Over the next couple of weeks, my mom and I barely talked. I had no desire to start a conversation with her, because I knew that I would get angry, and we would start to argue. Then Scott would tell me I was being rude, and would make me apologize. So I was just taking an extra precaution against the wrath of Scott.

But it wasn't just my mom I didn't talk to. I barely talked to my brothers, or stepfather. Hell, I was barely home. After school, I came home, flew through my homework, and went to the river to release stress. Or I'd be in my room, listening to music, writing, or reading. On Fridays I spent the night at Beth's house, and listened to her rambling about how much she hated her family sometimes, or how her cat ran away, or whatever else was going wrong in her life.

Lately it was how much she hated the male species. Apparently the good ones had girlfriends, and the hot ones were arrogant toe rags. I knew how that went. Guys only saw one thing when they looked at me. Well…there were actually two of them, but they were only one set.

"I know you feel, I'm sure every girl at some point knows how you feel. Guys aren't into me, either." Beth sighed.

"Charlie, I appreciate your comments and your logic, but can we just focus on me for now? My problems are a bit bigger than yours at the moment." My jaw clenched at her ignorance toward everything but her. And I pretty much lost it.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Beth. I forgot how nothing else matters but you. No one else has issues in their life, it's just you. I'm sorry I forgot that. Can you ever forgive me? I promise that I'll never forget how superior you are to me in the way that you're far worse off than I am. Because we hardly ever talk about you or your problems. I mean, I wasn't even aware that you felt this way. I never knew that you felt this way about guys, or your family, or whatever the hell is wrong with your life!" I ranted sarcastically. Beth had paused and looked like she had shat her pants from surprise.

"You don't know me." She whispered.

"Oh, trust me, I actually do. I'm always the one who listens to you whine and complain about everything in your life. I've listened to everything you have to say, everything that you voice. You know, every time you start talking about whatever's wrong, I stop and listen. But when I voice my concerns, it's as if you don't even listen. And now I know, because your problems are so much bigger than mine!"

"Charlie, stop pushing me away."

"What do you want me to do? Continue to listen to you talk about everything you hate? God, you're so negative. And I don't need any more negativity in my life."

"So you're not even going to try and fix yourself?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Look, it's obvious you're going through a funk. I'm here to help." I wanted to strangle her.

"Obviously not, since my problems aren't as big as yours." I used air quotations to enunciate my mockery. "Am I the only one who's being a bad friend? No. I think we know who that person is. And that's you. If it's so obvious that I'm going through a 'funk', then a good friend would help me out and listen to what's going on in my life. But since that's not happening, I think it's safe to say who the bad friend is."

"Get out."

"Thank God. I thought that order would never come out of your mouth. And this one, I'm glad to obey." It was still pretty early, meaning I was still dressed in my school clothes, so all I did was grab my duffel bag and head out the door. I also had some homework that Beth and I had planned on working on, but I knew that it would never get done at her house. My phone and iPod were in my pocket, and I had some money in my wallet. So I started walking, and after a couple miles, my stomach started to rumble. I hadn't eaten dinner, so I stopped at The Paper Lantern. A petite young woman escorted me to the bar since I only needed a place for one. "Can I just get some water?" The lady nodded at me.

"I'll send your waiter right over." I nodded in gratitude. I took my English homework out and started answering questions regarding Henry David Thoreau. Weird old hippie. He and that Layla chick would probably get along.

But all I could think about was my emotional outburst toward Beth. She hadn't deserved it. I was just angry. Angry at everything that seemed to be going wrong, and mad that I didn't want to fix any of it. And that definitely wasn't my usual self. But lately, I hadn't been my usual self. Things hadn't been right since the argument with my mother about my real dad. Maybe it was all the stress breaking free and I had taken it out on Beth. And my mom. Neither of them deserved my angry words. But how could I communicate with my mom when I had grown up believing a lie? And how could I be friends with Beth when all she did was talk about her? I couldn't communicate with Beth if she wasn't willing to do the same.

_God, I feel like a little drama queen._

"You ready to order?" The familiar voice made me jump.

"Yeah. I just want some chow mien." Warren nodded, writing it down and walking off. I drank some of my water before continuing my homework. It wasn't long before I was done and began math. Before I knew it, all my water was gone.

"Do you just want me to bring you a pitcher?" Warren asked. With my abilities, it was important that I drink more than enough water to keep me hydrated. Otherwise, my abilities would get shut down, and I'd get very sick.

"Um, sure. If that's not too much trouble." Everything I was asking for came out in a soft voice. I wasn't sure why, it's not like I was scared to be around Warren. Maybe it was just the guilt. Yeah, and the anger and stress and everything going on. Leave it to me to get stressed over my social life, despite the fact that I have none.

"No, it's cool."

"Thanks." He headed off to the kitchen again to get me my water. And he came back with my food as well. He set them both down in front of me and stood there for a moment.

"Isn't today Friday?" I nodded. "Why aren't you at Beth's?" I rolled my eyes. "Don't wanna talk about it. Gotcha." I smiled at him, thanking him as he walked away again. I was glad that he knew my body language. I started eating and found it to be the most wonderful Chinese food I'd ever eaten. I'd been here before, but it had been a while as Mom preferred home cooked meals. After that, I just kept refilling my water glass. People were slowly making their way out the door, and soon it was almost closing time. Hardly anyone was here. I saw that it was almost ten and looked around for someone to take my money. Warren came back and took my plate away. I got my things out of his way to make it easier.

"How much was that?"

"It's on the house." I rolled my eyes.

"Will ten bucks suffice?" He smirked and took my money, coming back with change. I told him to keep it. "You've been a great waiter." I explained with a grin. He sat next to me after I said that. He didn't need to speak for me to reply. "I got fed up with Beth and her complaining. So I pretty much bitched her out and she kicked me out."

"And you didn't go home?" I shrugged.

"I'm not on good terms with the people in my house right now." I was reluctant in telling him, but I knew that he wouldn't judge me. And it was ok to talk about my problems with him. He actually listened.

"But you're the Kade's. You guys are always on good terms." I chuckled.

"Not since I found out that Poseidon's my real dad."

"Oh. How did that come about?" I explained what had happened in History the first day, and the conversation/argument I had with my mom about it. "So now you guys aren't exactly on speaking terms." It wasn't a question.

"Nope. I'm not sure why I got so angry. I guess it's just that she kinda lied to me about the whole thing. Well, lying isn't exactly the right word, but she kept the truth from me. And it's a bit irritating to know that there are people who knew more about my past than I did." He nodded. "Anyway, I'll stop bothering you, now. I'm thinking it's time to head home. Everyone will be asleep by now."

"You sure?" I nodded. "All right. I'll see you on Monday."

"Ok. Bye Warren."

"Bye Charlotte."

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	5. Chapter 5: Testosterone

Monday was incredibly boring. The days beginning the week always are. Beth refused to talk to me, and I found myself not caring. It made me realize how easy it was to get over her. And though I knew I should feel guilty for throwing away our friendship, the fact that neither of us cared anymore said enough.

Today was my down day. I had worn old, loose jeans, a white tank top, and a large hoodie. My hair was in a ponytail, and I wore no makeup. I really didn't care today. And I think that should have spited my old best friend. And Beth seemed triumphant when I was sitting alone at lunch, but when Warren joined me, her smirk faded. God, you'd think that as seniors, we'd stop with all the unnecessary drama. But it never stops. Never. I had a gut feeling that things would continue after high school.

I was pulled from my thoughts when, suddenly, someone tripped Will Stronghold-probably Lash thinking himself all high and mighty-and Will's tray splattered all over Warren's and my table. Warren had gotten in a fight with his mom this morning, and wasn't in a mood to be trifled with. Hell, I wasn't either. But when Warren gave me his death look and stood up, I knew nothing good would come of this.

"Uh, sorry." The timid freshman apologized.

"You will be." Warren threatened. I sighed.

"Let's not do this."

"You think you can do whatever you want just because your name's Stronghold?"

_Jump to conclusions, why don't we?_

I stood up and placed a hand on Warren's shoulder, hoping to calm him down, but he just shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry that my dad put your dad is jail, but-" He was cut off when Warren grabbed him by his shirt, drawing him closer.

"Nobody talks about my father." And he flamed up. Shit. This was where I started to intervene. Someone knocked me down, so I punched him or her in the back of their legs, knocking them down as I stood up. I hated being shorter than the population of Sky High. I jumped around trying to see everything, and then I made my way to the front.

"That's so hot!" Lash exclaimed.

"I'm starting to question your sexuality right now." I told him. He just smirked. Warren was getting ready to throw a fireball at Will as the students started chanting. My exhaustion slid away, and adrenaline took its place.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight!" I threw off my hoodie and powered up myself just in case someone got hurt. I didn't want Warren to get out of control. Will stopped himself from being hurt by placing a lunch tray in front of him. That wasn't going to be the best protective shield. People were freaking out, and dodging Warren's powers as Gwen and her cloning goon made their entrance. Will made his way to the fire alarm but Lash tripped him before he could do anything. Then the small freshman began crawling under the table as I began using my powers to stop the fire from spreading in the cafeteria.

"Warren! Stop!" I shouted. I began throwing water at him in the form of balls, but it didn't work. Warren got on the table and began throwing more fire, completely ignoring me. "Damn it!" I followed him onto the table, trying to douse him. I hadn't drunk much water today, so my powers weren't very acute, and Warren seemed to be getting even angrier.

"Where's your sidekick, sidekick?"

"Clever, Warren. Clever." I applauded him sarcastically. He gave me a death look that I returned. I held water threateningly, but he had powered down. I knew it was only a matter of time before he started flaming again.

"Right here." His friends stood up for them. But I knew they didn't stand much of a chance against someone like Warren. I had to applaud their bravery though. It was kind of sweet. Warren flamed up, intimidating them, and the orange kid melted in fear. I'm sure it was either that, or piss his pants. Suddenly, Will lifted the table with Warren still on it. I'd heard that he hadn't developed his powers, though. I guess he was a late bloomer.

"Leave them alone!" Will warned. Warren nearly lost his balance, but having ridden a skateboard almost all his life taught him balance. I'm not sure what Will was trying to accomplish, but Warren wasn't doing any harm anymore, but then I fell off the table and hit my back.

"He's strong." Layla exclaimed.

_That's ok. I'm fine. Thanks for asking._

"I'm strong?" Will asked himself.

"He's super strong." Gwen added. I rolled my eyes as I stood up. I felt a bruise coming on. Will threw the table with Warren still on it. His upper half hit the ceiling, and I cringed at the pain that must have been felt. But I guess with fire came invincibility or something, because my angry friend got right back up and began fighting again. He was madder than I'd ever seen him before.

"Warren, hold it!" I shouted, powering up once more. Will put his arms up in a defending stance, and although it didn't look promising, he threw Warren through a few walls.

"Think I can't take a hit?" Will had been cheered by his friends, thinking he had won.

"You might want to think again." I told him. My shoulders had slugged down and I was tired. I was getting dehydrated. "Warren, I'm serious. Stop." I was panting, in need of water. He didn't listen to me and began running toward his victim. I gave it all I had and doused him with both water and ice. And after my vision cleared, I saw Principal Powers. Layla had thrown Will a fire extinguisher just in case.

"Hi." Will said weakly. Warren, Will and I followed her to what I knew as the detention center. "I didn't do anything. He started it." Will began pointed fingers.

"Your dad started it. And I'm going to finish it." Warren replied. I rolled my eyes at the testosterone. Warren tried powering up, and Will flinched. But due to the powers of this room, none of us had powers.

"Don't bother. The detention room neutralizes all super powers." Powers explained. "Now sit." We obeyed her. "Now here at Sky High we do everything we can to teach you how to use your powers. But what you do with them, now that's up to you." She looked at Warren. "Living up to your father's reputation," then at Will. "Or trying to live it down is a sad waste of talent. Your talent. Try to keep that in mind next time you're about to do something stupid." She left and I stood up, examining my back.

"Damn you, Stronghold. Look what you did." I showed him my purple back. He looked away sheepishly. And look what you did, Peace." I showed him the big burn mark in my jeans, and the deep read mark on my thigh. "You guys are assholes." Neither of them could look me in the eye, and it was quiet for a few minutes.

"All right, look. Whatever happened with our dads has nothing to do with us." He chuckled nervously. "What d'you say?" He stuck his hand out for Warren to shake, but the boy in the leather jacket refused it.

"I say that if you ever cross me again, I'll roast you alive." Will faltered and put his hand back down.

"Well, I think this is going to be the start of a wonderful friendship." I stated sarcastically. Warren rolled his eyes and Will smiled nervously.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6: Self Conscious

I busied myself by eating the chow mien that Warren brought me and after his shift ended, he sat at the bar with me. We were listening to music, not really talking. I was busy writing, and he was tracing patterns onto the table.

"I thought your shift ended at nine." I told him.

"Just Fridays and Saturdays. During the weekdays they have to let me off around seven or eight. Child labor law or something like that." He explained. I nodded and continued writing. "What are you always writing?"

"Oh, this and that. It changes depending on inspiration."

"And what has inspired you today?" I shrugged.

"Nothing really. Even though you decided to try and roast a freshman, it didn't really impact that muses. I just like this place. The Asian atmosphere is really nice." He nodded in agreement. "You don't really have to be anyone here. You don't have to think or try or do anything really. You're just here. I like it." I tended to ramble around Warren. Especially nowadays.

"Yeah. This place is the only place I don't yell at people."

"That could be just because you'd get fired." I teased him, grinning. He shrugged, but smiled a little. "But I know what you mean. You don't let anything affect you while you're here." He nodded. I sighed and drank some more water.

"I'm sorry you got dehydrated today." He muttered. I inhaled sharply through my nose.

"It's whatever. You felt offended, and even though I don't agree with your antics, if it had been Beth, I probably would have reacted the same way." I tried brushing off his apology. It wasn't like either of us to apologize, so when we did, especially to the other, we got awkward and uncomfortable.

"Yeah, but you got hurt." I didn't say anything for a while. "Are you going to say something?"

"What do you want me to say, Warren?" He shrugged. "Do you want me to forgive you? I'll forgive you if you want, but the thing is, you're just going to do it again." Warren opened his mouth to respond, but I continued. "I've been doing this for years, and I've had enough of it. I don't think I can take much more of you ignoring me when I try to stop you from doing this."

"Then stop trying."

"Fine, I'll stop being the only person who looks out for you."

"I don't need you to look out for me, Charlotte." I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, you do. Just like I need you to look out for me." We both knew I was right.

Suddenly my iPod changed to a sappy song. I blushed and changed it. "Sorry. I know you don't like that stuff." He just laughed. I had it set to heavy metal, rock, and hardcore alternative. But occasionally those bands would include some romantic song that was just weird sounding.

"Do you?"

"Not from these bands. It would be like you writing poetry on Valentine's Day." I told him. "It's just not normal." He laughed again. I prided myself on being the only one to make Warren laugh.

"So are you and Beth going to try to patch things up?" I shrugged.

"I don't really care anymore. If she wants to start being a good friend, then I'm all for it. But if she doesn't make any effort, then I'm not going to start being the subject to all her rants and feelings. A friendship is a two-way road. I can't put my all into it if she won't. Plus, she was hanging out with Gwen today. And that's traitorous just in itself." My best friend grinned.

"Thank God. I'm not sure I could handle her attitude anymore." He sighed heavily. I laughed at that. "And I wasn't there for sleepovers." I rolled my eyes at his truthfulness. "But…I mean…are you sure you don't want her as a friend anymore?" I thought for a moment, not speaking. Then I nodded.

"I think our friendship became convenient. There wasn't much going for it; we both stopped caring enough about each other. And I'm probably the only one who didn't voice my opinions about her arrogance, and didn't tell her off. I kept my mouth shut."

"Why?" I shrugged.

"I thought it was just a phase. I thought eventually I'd get over it."

"That's not something you should have to get over. It's something that you should talk through with someone and see what can be done about it. Beth obviously wasn't going to hear it, so you told her in the more blunt way possible. There's no escaping that. A true friend will listen to you."

"Like you do?" I wasn't sure if I was pleading with him to listen any further, or if I just needed a true friend right now.

"Yeah. Like me."

"Do you want a ride home?" Warren asked as the clock struck nine.

"No, I'm just going to walk home. Thanks though."

"Charlotte, your house is like, five miles away. Here." He handed me his helmet.

"Warren, I'm fine. I've walked here and back to my place before."

"Yeah, but not this late. You've taken the bus before."

"Yeah, but the buses are closed now. It's a weekday."

"Exactly; that's why I'm giving you a ride."

"Warren, I can walk. It's fine."

"Charlotte, just get on the damn bike." I raised an eyebrow at his attitude.

"Warren, the weather is nice, and I could use the exercise. I'm perfectly fine walking home."

"And if you get raped?" I laughed at the one.

"I'm not going to get raped."

"Yeah, knock on wood." I grinned and rapped my knuckles against my forehead. He didn't smile.

"Why are you so against me giving you a ride home?"

"I told you. I'm perfectly fine walking home."

"Why do you want to exercise?" I shrugged. "Why did you decide to lose weight this summer?"

_What? Where did that come from?_

"Are we seriously having this conversation?" I was used to Warren being indifferent and cold, not concerned and demanding. Well, demanding was part of his attributes, but not in this sense. His behavior was bewildering.

"I just want to know what brought upon this change."

"There was absolutely nothing to do over the summer, so I started going to the gym." I stated honestly. "I got healthy, and lost my baby fat. It's not a big deal. Besides, now I have a nice butt." Again, he didn't smile.

"Why are you so self-conscious?"

"Why do you care?" I practically shouted. "Why are we talking about this? Jesus, I can't do anything without it being a concern to someone!"

"Charlotte, that's totally hypocritical." Warren stated. "You just said you hated how Beth ignored you. And now, when someone cares, you're just going to push them away?"

"You're acting concerned because you think I have an eating disorder. I don't." I explained. "What brought upon the idea that I'm self-conscious because I lost weight? I was a big girl, and now I'm a few pounds lighter. That's all. Walking helps clear my mind, and will prepare my mentally for whatever awaits me at home."

"You've never been a 'big girl', Charlotte. You just have tits and an ass." I rolled my eyes at his crude comment. "I liked you better when you weren't so focused on what you looked like. When you were illogical and irrational, and did whatever the hell you wanted, not caring what everyone else thought."

"Wow, seriously? We're having this conversation." I muttered. "I don't care what people think about me, Warren. I don't. I lost some weight this summer, and suddenly, I'm self-conscious? Sorry I'm a girl and like feeling pretty. God, forget it. It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does." Warren grabbed my arm, but I snatched it out of his reach.

"No, Warren. It doesn't."


	7. Chapter 7: Apologies

**_Second Grade_**...

_A small boy was playing in the sandbox. He was all alone, but seemed to be enjoying himself. The other students weren't annoying him, and he wasn't causing any trouble. Meanwhile, a small girl was swinging on the swings. She was pumping her legs to go higher, and it was working. A lot of the other children couldn't swing by themselves yet, so they avoided the swing set. She loved the feeling of flying. She felt free. But she was suddenly yanked back, and pushed off brutally by two bullies. One was a chubby thing; the other a scrawny boy. They held mischievous grins on their face at seeing their victim crying. At hearing the girlish crying, the small boy got up and made his way to the noise. The teachers were talking, in desperate need for adult contact, and hadn't heard the girl. So Warren Peace decided to investigate._

_"What's the matter? Did you get a boo-boo?" The fat one asked, taunting the girl. The two bullies laughed._

_"You'll have one when I'm done!" Warren yelled. Despite being young, Warren's mother had taught him to be kind to ladies, and stick up for them. He had seen his father hurt Warren's mother, not physically, but emotionally. He was going to do all he could to make sure he didn't end up like that. Without a father, Warren had to grow up fast. He learned what was necessary to be considered a good person. And that was what he wanted. Warren pounced on the fat boy, and the little girl got up, hiccupping from crying. Before the scrawny boy could pounce on Warren, Charlotte intervened. She used her abilities to freeze Lash where he was._

_"Eep! I wasn't supposed to do that!" She exclaimed. Warren's abilities had kicked in as well, burning Speed's clothes, and giving him a few scorch marks. The teachers were making their way to the children, so Charlotte took Warren's hand they fled behind the bathroom walls. "You have powers too?" Warren nodded cautiously. "Me too! I can control water! But I didn't know I could control ice, too!" She was excited at this new foundation._

_"Why are we in the girl's bathroom?"_

_"Well, I can't go in the boy's bathroom, silly."_

_"But I'm a boy! I can't be in the girl's bathroom! They have cooties!" The small girl looked appalled._

_"Nuh uh! Boys do!" She suddenly dropped Warren's warm hand. "_

_"Girls do!"_

_"Boys do!" They bickered back and forth. "I'm Charlotte Kade." The girl finally stated._

_"Warren Peace." They smiled. "Wanna go play in the sandbox?"_

_"No. The sandbox will get me dirty. Mommy said not to get my new dress dirty." Warren looked at her blue dress. It matched her eyes perfectly. There was a white bow in her curly, dark brown hair. Her cheeks were pink, and she reminded Warren of a doll. There was already a rip in her dress from the bullies pushing her off the swing._

_"But you already got it dirty. The boys pushed you off, and now it's dirty. So if you play in the sandbox, it won't matter." Charlotte looked at Warren's apparel. His old jeans were ripped and frayed. He probably played in the sandbox a lot. His shirt had food stains on it from lunch, and his shoes were old and falling apart. His dark hair was matted with sand, and his dark skin was flushed._

_"But isn't that lying?"_

_"No. Because those boys got your dress dirty." Charlotte bit her lip, a trademark she would have the rest of her life, and finally nodded._

_"Ok. But then we have to go on the swings." Warren flushed._

_"I can't swing."_

_"That's ok! I'll teach you! It's so much fun!"_

_And so began the friendship of Warren Peace and Charlotte Kade._

* * *

My mom wasn't happy when I got home late that night. I barely heard her yelling at me as I sat on the couch. Scott was standing there with his arms folded, looking menacing. His powers were getting the best of him as he glowed ominously through the house. I could see them, but all I could hear were the words Warren has said to me.

_'I liked you better when you weren't so focused on what you looked like'._

It wasn't completely horrible. After all, it's not like Warren shouted about how much he hated me. But I was a girl, and couldn't he understand that as a teenager, I wanted to feel good about myself? Or was that me being a narcissist? Maybe I was overanalyzing all of this, because that's what happened as of late. Perhaps my logic and analytical thinking made me cold and distant, causing me to become stressed, and push people away, and find the negative in all of them. Warren tended to always right, no matter what. And odds are, he was right about this as well. And now, my mom was yelling at me because I hadn't accepted a ride on Warren's motorcycle. All because I wanted to exercise, and not feel fat again.

God, I was such a sap. Such a drama queen. It was ridiculous that all of this was happening because of stupid choices I was making. It was because I was too stubborn to allow my emotions show, and too impatient to know the truth.

"I'm sorry, mom." I mumbled, even though I hadn't heard anything she'd said. I think my mom knew that too.

"What?" Scott had even stopped scowling, and looked at me in surprise.

"I said I'm sorry." I repeated. "I didn't mean to be late. I was just walking."

"Yeah, back from The Paper Lantern." Mom recovered from her previous gap of anger. "This means you were with Warren. Why didn't you ask him for a ride?"

"Because I wanted some exercise."

"Oh, God! Are you anorexic?"

"What? No! Why do people keep on assuming things about me? First Warren assumes that I'm self-conscious, and now you're assuming I'm anorexic. What's with this?"

"Charlie, we just worry." Scott interrupted. "When you come back at eleven on a weeknight, after being gone for quite some time, we tend to worry. Anything can happen out there, especially with the abilities that people have."

"You're forgetting that I have abilities, too. And in case of an emergency, I'm allowed to use them. I know how to take care of myself."

"Charlotte! Please!" Mom was close to tears.

"Ok! I said I'm sorry! What more do you want! I'm sorry that I'm being a bitch, and pushing people away, and I'm sorry that I can't stand listening to people who only rant about themselves, and their problems. Sorry that I'm a teenage girl, and like to feel good about myself! Are you happy?" My mom took a seat next to me, and Scott took the other side. "I'm sorry I changed over the summer, and now I'm logical, and analytical." Now I was crying, and with me being 96% water, my tears fall down like waterfalls. "I didn't mean to be this way. I'm just getting stressed. And I don't know what's going on. I don't know why Warren isn't being patient with me. I mean, he was before."

"I'll call the doctor." My mom said.

_What the hell?_

"Mom, that's not going to solve anything!"

"A Super doctor." She replied. "Because there might be an answer to this. "It's been gradual, but I think you're emotions are raging, Charlie. It might be another growth spurt, meaning your powers are evolving. But I'm not sure. A visit with a doctor will clear some things up."

"As for now, I think you need to amend things with Warren." Scott advised. "You're going to need him to get through this." I didn't want to show weakness, as that was the logical thing to do. But was it illogical to completely disregard my friend? Especially when he was right? No, of course not. And I really had to stop with the logic thing. I had to start again with the right and wrong thing. So I hugged my parents, and headed upstairs to call my best friend.

"What?" That was the answer I got.

"Hello to you to." I mumbled in response. There was silence, and I hoped that he hadn't fallen asleep. His voice had sounded groggy. "I...um...are you awake?"

"Yes." I hiccupped from the tears still falling. "Are you crying?" I bit my lip.

"No."

"You so are. Don't lie. It's illogical." I could almost hear the smile in his teasing tone.

"So will you accept my apology?"

"What apology? You haven't given me one." I sighed.

"I'm sorry my behavior." I began. "I've been stressed out, but that's no excuse to have no motivation, or to be bitchy to you whenever my emotions get the better of me. You don't deserve it. You've put up with me since second grade, and you've been there when I've needed you the most." My waterworks were getting the better of me again.

_What the hell? I never cry! And now Warren can hear me. Damn it!_

"All right, I accept your apology." He replied to my speech. "God, you may not be good at knowing when you need to apologize, but when you do, they're great." That gave me a wet chuckle. "Now stop crying, and go to sleep. God knows you must be exhausted."

"Thanks War. I'll see you tomorrow.

"Bye, Charlotte."


	8. Chapter 8: The Bet

I was grateful to know that Warren had been serious when he accepted my apology. His only request was that whenever it got late, he would give me a ride home. It took a while, but I finally relented. I told him what my parents thought was going on with me emotionally, but Warren didn't agree with them. I asked him why he didn't.

"Because if that's true, then I'm still developing." I smiled at his attempt to poke fun at himself. "I'm serious. I may not be as bitchy as you've been, or have gone under a complete mental change, but with the way my attitude is, I must be still going through my growth spurt."

"Here's my theory on both your personality and your powers." I replied. "First, you're naturally a moody, sulking, serious guy. You've always been like that, Warren. And when you went through your growth spurts, your moods grew more serious, and you were socially awkward, and even more temperamental. But you've always been one hot tamale." He gave me an evil glare with my pet name for him. "As for your powers, it is possible that your powers are still developing. You get more powerful every year. Guys don't stop maturing until they're, like, twenty." He shrugged, but I had a feeling that both of my theories on him were correct.

I had recently found out that Will Stronghold had been placed into Hero classes. With his newfound strength, how could he not have been? But with new classes came new friends. And those new friends included Gwen Grayson, Penny, and their other goons, which now included Beth. Will was sitting with them at lunch, and as his old friends came to join them, Penny duplicated herself so there was no more room. Will didn't have the decency to stick up for his friends, so I rolled my eyes and continued eating. I looked over at Warren and saw him giving Will the stink eye.

"Warren." I whispered. "Must I intervene again?"

"I'm not wearing my jacket today. So you can soak me all you want." I had to chuckle. "He's just sitting with the stupid seniors, and isn't sticking up for his friends."

"That's his choice. Don't frighten him into doing something when he has no idea why you're glaring."

"Damn. I wish he had telekinesis."

"So he can move you around the cafeteria?"

"What's the word for reading minds?"

"Being psychic?"

_What was he getting at?_

"Never mind. I'm just talking in tangents."

I agreed with him before grinning and we continuing with our meals. Will seemed suddenly interested on the nutritional facts on the back of his juice box as he noticed Warren glaring at him. I looked pointedly at him, then at Layla, helping his thoughts in the right direction. I may not have known them that well. But if there was a way to fix a friendship, or stop one from ending, I would do what I could. '_Ask her to dinner_'. I mouthed to him. He looked really confused, and then looked at his best friend. I nodded with a stupid grin on my face. He looked either terrified at my psychotic antics, or grateful that I had given him a good idea. Maybe it was both.

"And you say I'm going to frighten him?"

"At least I'm not trying to kill him with my flaming fury of death. Pun intended." The maniac grin was still etched upon my face.

"No, you'll kill him with that evil glint in your eyes."

"It's not evil; it's the look of an intelligent being! You get it too! Only sometimes though."

"Who gave you sugar for breakfast?" I checked myself before coming up with another one of my witty comments.

"Whoa, Will must be on to something. There's something in this juice." I looked at the nutritional facts, copying Will's earlier motions.

Lunch was almost over, so I headed to my locker to get my things. It was 'Save the Citizen' today, so classes after lunch were cancelled so that everyone could meet in the gym. Will and Layla were talking about meeting tonight, but I had my ear buds in, so I didn't catch any of it. I had a gut feeling that they were settling scores, and Will had taken my advice. Then the orange kid shouted for his friend before a hand stretched out and grabbed him. I followed Will and Layla to see Lash and Speed shoving the orange kid in a locker.

"Whoa! Hey!" Will squeezed in between the two bullies to get his friend out. "C'mon, guys."

"Thanks dude." Orange boy said. Lash and Speed leaned conspicuously against the locker.

"Zack too." Will added. The seniors rolled their eyes before letting the neon boy out. How had they fit two boys in there?

"Yeah! Not so tough when my boy's around, are you?" Lash and Speed looked menacingly at Zack, who backed off quickly.

"Oh, you just think you're so big and bad, don't you Stronghold?" Lash exclaimed.

"No, I don't." Will stuttered.

"Please, Will could totally take you." I snickered, and Will looked back at me.

"You saw what happened to Warren? You want a piece of that?" I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing happened to Warren." I intervened. "He escaped from Will's clutches unscathed, and nearly fried Will. It was me who got a piece of pain." Will looked sheepish again.

"You better watch it, Stronghold. That big mouth is gonna get you in a lot of trouble." Speed declared.

"I didn't say anything." He protested. I wanted to intervene again, but the bigger one of the bullies beat me to it.

"Why don't we settle this in P.E.?" Speed announced.

"You're on." The orange kid stated. "If we win, you lay off the sidekicks for the rest of the year." Speed and Lash looked entertained, agreeing with the idea.

"And if we lose, you can dunk Ethan's head in the toilet every day until graduation." Zack added.

"Yeah!" I guess orange kid was Ethan. "Huh?"

"You got yourself a deal." Lash stated. He and his buddie began walking away.

"Are you crazy?" I tilted my head in agreement.

"You guys are complete idiots." I stated. They all turned toward me. "Lash and Speed have the record set for them. They're always the villains, and they always get the citizen killed before the heroes have a chance to save it. They work really well together, and no one has beaten them since they arrived. Well, no one wants to go up against them anyway." I explained. "And those that do aren't very good in the first place."

"But Will could beat them, right?" Layla asked. I shrugged. "I mean, he barely knows how to use his powers, but..." She trailed off, and I almost laughed at Will's horrified expression. "Sorry. That wasn't helping."

"Maybe. But he'd have to be paired with another hero. And that person would have to be really good."

"Like you?" Ethan added.

"I'm not that good. I may control everything about water, but that doesn't mean I'm really good."

"Charlie, we all saw you help Will with Warren. You're quite good." Layla complimented me. "I respect that you used your powers to help Will."

"Warren's better than I am. That's why I got hurt, and no one else did. But if you want my help, then I'll help you." Will grinned with gratitude.

"Will, you have no choice." Zack exclaimed. "You can't let the dunk Ethan's head in the toilet. The dunking must end." He ended dramatically. Then the bell rang.

"C'mon. We should get going." I stated, leading the way to the gym.

I sat with Will's group, and Warren on my opposite side. He looked peeved that I was sitting with the freshmen, but I couldn't care less. They were good kids. Not to mention I was trying to be illogical again. And I thought that this was a good attempt. They brought out my silliness and immaturity. I think they would be good for me. Besides, Warren didn't have to talk to them if he didn't want to. It was _me_ that I was trying to restore to normal. And deep down, my best friend didn't really care who we sat with, as long as they didn't bother him. And besides that fact alone, Warren could do anything he wanted, though he usually stuck with me, despite everything. I felt calm around these kids. They gave off a good vibe. I really didn't care what others thought about them; I liked them. And I could tell that they would grow on Warren.

"3, 2, 1!" The citizen had been destroyed, and everyone was cheering. If they all wanted to be superheroes, then why were they cheering when the villains won?

"All right, next round." Boomer declared. "Speed, Lash, you wanna be heroes or villains?"

"Villains."

"There's a surprise." I muttered.

"All right, who do you wanna beat next?"

"We'll take little Stronghold, and uh..." Speed looked to his partner.

"And we pick Peace." Oh, shit. I had hoped they would pick me, seeing as how I'd been with Will when the bet was made. They'd always had issues with me, thinking themselves superior because of our history. I had been counting on our rivalry to kick in so I could help my new friend. Nevertheless, Will got up, and he and Warren headed to change into gear provided for them so that they wouldn't get too badly injured.

"Hothead! Stronghold!" Boomed shouted. "You're the heroes." Gwen sent a flirty wave in Will's direction and Will returned it with equal enthusiasm.

"Stronghold!" Warren called out. "Get your head in the game."

"You have three minutes to immobilize your opponents and save the citizen." A girl doll was dropped halfway to the blades, and screamed in a robotic voice 'help me, help me!' It was quite annoying to hear. But I blocked out the robot's voice as the battle began.

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**Keep up the reviews! I am loving them. And from the looks of it, so are you. :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Helping Freshmen

Lash and Speed were getting themselves ready for their typical fight. You'd think that since everyone knew their moves, it would be easy for the Heroes to save the citizen. But the Heroes' reflexes weren't quick enough for the infamous bullies. So as the fight began, Speed began using his power to sprint around Warren and Will, knocking them around the stadium. As usual, Warren wasn't fazed, and Will bravely got up and shook it off. Lash tied Warren up, thinking that he was won. But my best friend simply fired up, burning the enemy up in the process.

"Coach! That's a foul!" Lash tried to put the blame on Warren, but Boomer simply laughed at Lash's attempts. Meanwhile, the doll was getting closer to the blades, meaning that the Heroes had to act quickly. Will made his move, but Speed got in the way. It wasn't pretty, as Will was a puny freshman. I knew he had super strength, but it still looked painful. The audience was kept interested as the attack wasn't about to stop the motivated freshman, but Speed kept on keeping him from his destination. Warren was throwing fireballs at Lash, but the latter was one of defense, not offence.

After one attempt too many to thwart Will, he jumped up, and pounced back on the basketball ground, punching it in the process. It knocked Speed and Lash off their balance, giving the Heroes the advantage. The students began cheering as Will tied Lash up, using his own power against him. It reminded me of the missing and deceased heroes. But I knew this was just a class. This was nothing serious. Warren was attempting to throw fireballs at Speed, but the Villain was just too quick for him.

"Save the citizen!" Warren cried out to Will, who was too interested in his defeat of Lash to remember where they were. So Will began running toward the doll, just as Speed began to circle around Warren. One thing I knew about fire was that it needed oxygen to survive. And Warren was the epitome of fire, meaning that Speed's little trick was causing his to suffocate.

"Warren!" Will turned to look at me as I shouted out my best friend's name, and then at his partner. He looked at the doll, and finally gave into the internal debate with himself. He ran over to where Warren was, and took Speed away from him, allowing Warren to breathe again. I let out a sigh of relief. Speed was still in running mode, and Will let him loose, causing Speed to run into Lash, causing groans from them both. I laughed and began cheering. Then Will threw Warren toward the citizen, just in time to save the doll from total destruction. The students roared and cheered loudly as the heroes won for the first time. I could practically hear the fanfares. It was weird to feel great about this insignificant thing. I guess that was ok, though. No matter how small it was, it was ok to feel good.

I watched as the crowd headed over to Will to congratulate him on his victory. I headed over to my best friend, and patted him on the back.

"You did good, Warren. I'm proud of you. You stopped the sidekicks from getting swirlies." He looked confused, so I explained to him the bet that had taken place earlier. He looked indifferent to the whole thing, and I didn't make him talk about what was going on inside his head. I knew he still held a biased grudge toward Will, but I had a feeling that it would change soon, even if Warren would never, ever admit it. It was all about attitude. Your thoughts defined your actions, and it became you. It wasn't illogical for Warren to talk about his thoughts and feelings. That's just how he was. He didn't try, he just did. That's what the difference was between him and me. I guess it was ok to be myself.

"So when are you going to see the doctor?" Warren asked later that night. I was bugging him again. After a while, he stopped caring. I would work on my homework, and then help him. MiMi had taken a liking to me, so she let me meander around her restaurant. And since I was helping Warren get done with his work faster, he got to work more, which pleased her. Especially since I worked for free.

"My mom scheduled an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. She wants to know the verdict almost as much as I do."

"The thing is, I don't remember you acting like this during your first growth spurt." I shrugged.

"I don't either. But sometimes things change. I don't recall you ever changing your personality during puberty, but you and I are different. My mom went through three growth spurts, each one being different. Hell if I know what my real dad went through."

"Maybe you can learn about your dad's medical history while you're there."

"Yeah, that'd be cool. It might give me some more insight on how I'll grow up to be, seeing as how we share powers." Warren nodded, and then it was quiet. I saw Layla Williams sitting at a booth, as though waiting for someone. I thought long and hard about whom she could be so anxious to see, and then I remembered that she and Will had made plans to reconcile. Weren't they supposed to meet here? It was getting late.

"Why is the hippie here?" Warren asked almost rudely.

"I think she and Will made plans to meet here. An apology of some sorts for what happened at lunch today."

"I don't think he's showing." I tilted my head, my eyes staring at Layla. I felt bad for her. It was kind of easy to see that she had the hots for Will, even though he liked Gwen. It was like a weird love triangle, and Layla was left alone.

"Why don't you go sit with her?" I suggested.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because it would be nice of you."

"I'm never nice."

"You're nice to me."

"That's because I like you."

"And you don't like her?"

"She's friends with Stronghold." I sighed in agitation.

"Just go sit with her. Make her feel less miserable. You're good at that."

"Only with you."

"It still counts." I retorted. "Besides, I'm leaving anyway."

"You're only leaving so I'll go sit with her."

"What's your point?" He groaned as I gathered my things and left. Before I went out the door, I saw him slide into the booth with her, and I smiled. I had him so whipped, and he wasn't even my boyfriend.

* * *

I couldn't imagine what Layla and Warren were talking about. A hippie with a hothead didn't really mix. But I wanted Warren to do this. I'm not going to lie; Warren is an attractive young man. And when attractive young men give attention to girls who aren't looking for it, it's very much appreciated. It gives a girl some motivation, and some spark to their character. It's subconscious, but it happens.

"I left some dinner for you in the fridge." Mom said when I told her I was home.

"I already ate." I replied. "MiMi gives me a free meal when I help Warren with his duties."

"What have you been eating?"

"Chow mien." I replied. "It's so good there. The best I've ever had."

"Have you been eating that every night?"

"Just when I go to annoy Warren." This was about every night.

"That's bad for you, Charlie." Scott told me. "It has a lot of fat, and butter."

"It's good." I looked at my torso. "And I'm gaining weight." My parents didn't say anything. "Warren said he liked me better when I wasn't focused on what I looked like."

"Are you going to heed his lecture?" My mom asked.

"No. But I like not worrying about it. I walk everywhere, mom. It's not like it's going to kill me. If you want, I'll start getting vegetable with my noodles. Besides, this is legit Chinese food. Not Panda Express." Even my parents had to laugh at that one.

"I'd like it if you started eating with us, Charlie. Your brothers miss you." I was quiet for a moment, and then I nodded. I bade them goodnight, and then went to my brothers' room.

"Ben, Sam, you guys awake?"

"Yeah." They answered simultaneously. I moved into their bedroom and said on the bottom bunk of their bed.

"How was your day?"

"Good." It was simultaneous again.

"Did you learn anything new?"

"We always learn something new." Ben replied. I felt guilt rising in the pit of my stomach. I had been so focused on myself that I hadn't given my brothers the attention that they needed from me. I was their big sister. I was supposed to give into their demands when our mother would not. That was my duty to them. But I would ditch my family duties and hang out with my best friend, and get lost in my thoughts. I was being unfair to them. Soon, I would be out of the house, performing civic duties as a Super. They wouldn't have many memories of me when I lived with them.

"Well, maybe we can go to the park tomorrow after my doctor appointment, and you can tell me all that you've learned so far. Is that ok?"

"I love the park!" Sam exclaimed sleepily. I chuckled and kissed his forehead, then reached for Ben, but he pulled away. As a seven-year-old, he was far more aware of what was expected of me, and what I had been lacking in. He wasn't so quick to forgive.

"What about you, Ben. Do you love the park?" He nodded his head. "And will you go with me tomorrow, and show me how smart you are?" He was a sucker for compliments, so he gave into me, and finally let me kiss him. "Good night. I'll see you both tomorrow."

I was waiting at the bus stop, as usual, when Will came running up. He was excited about something. Maybe he'd gotten laid last night. That would give a freshman's hopes set high for the future. Layla looked peeved about something. I tried to be invisible as they started speaking, but it was hard not to eavesdrop. I saw the redhead hand the boy a fortune cookie, in hopes that he would remember.

"Oh, I love these." Apparently he didn't. "Your loyalties are clear when it comes to friends." He read from the fortune. Layla still had an awaiting expression across her face. Finally, it hit him. "Oh, God. Oh, I totally spaced. I'm sorry. I know you must want to kill me."

"Actually, just the opposite." Layla finally spoke up. "I have something to tell you." Oh, man, I felt my face grow hot as I prepared myself for what should have been a private moment. I turned up the volume and looked at the two friends. They were looking at me, and I motioned toward my ears, gesturing that I couldn't hear them. They started talking again, and I could resist. So I sneakily turned the volume back down so I could hear their conversation. It would be cute to hear Layla confess her undying love for Will.

"Ok, me first." Will stated. Selfish much? "It's about Homecoming."

"Really? Me too."

"I'm going with Gwen Grayson." I nearly choked on my gum, and completely dropped my iPod. The pair looked over at me again, and I muttered an apology as I picked it up and started listening to music again. I couldn't help but notice Layla's expression as the happiness and hope faded away. Her innocence was that of a wounded puppy, and it made me want to cry. "Can you believe it?" Will continued. "Me, a freshman, going with the most amazing girl at Sky High." Wow, way to put salt in the wound.

"That's awesome." Layla responded to all of that, a smile taking place of her bewildered expression. Wow. She had complete control of her emotions. I had to give her kudos for that. It took a lot to fake a smile and happy emotion for your best friend. Especially when you were in love with him. She was my new best friend. The bus came before Layla could tell Will her news, and I knew it was for the better. It meant she could come up with something before Will actually asked her what her news was.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. What's your Homecoming news?"

"I'm going too." She replied.

"Really? Who with?" Will wondered.

"Who with?"

"Yeah, who asked you?" Layla faked a laugh.

"Oh, who asked me!" She paused for a moment. "Warren Peace." This time, I did choke on my gum, and my iPod was in my pocket so it didn't fall, but some student used his control of sustenance to get the gum out of the wrong tube.

"Warren Peace? He's my biggest enemy!" Will asked in astonishment. I hastily followed them after they got off the bus. "When he ask you, when did you guys even start hanging out?"

"Last night. Paper Lantern. Eight o'clock." She replied shortly, and walked away. I could have fainted from the blood draining from my face. Thankfully, I didn't. But Warren had some explaining to do.

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**I think this is early. Or late. Whichever, I hope it makes you happy. It's a much longer chapter than I originally intended, but that's cool. Hopefully that means that I'll get more reviews ;) *hint hint***


	10. Chapter 10: Inside the Loop

I kept myself occupied during class in order to keep myself from blowing up at Warren. All of this could wait until we had more time. And besides, he hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, it was my fault that Warren went and sat by Layla to keep her company. I blamed Will because he decided to be an idiot and ditch his best friend. I never told Warren to ask Layla to Homecoming.

_Where the hell had he even gotten that idea? _

He hated dances, and dancing in general. There's no way he would step foot on campus longer than the obligated six hours a day, five days a week thing we had to do in order to graduate. There was something fishy awry.

At lunch, Layla came and sat with us. It was odd. Although, not as odd as seeing Warren and me sit together. I wore color. Well, more color than Warren did. He wore black and red. I could pull off any color of the rainbow, and anything in between. That came from having a Siren for a mother. But that's beside the point. I was used to having Warren all to myself. What had happened last night to make Warren ask Layla to the dance and for her to come and sit with us?

_Anyway…_

"Hi Warren. Hi Charlie. I can call you that, right?" I nodded.

"Did I do or say something last night to make you think this was ok?" Warren asked in a low growl. Layla giggled. And I was still confused.

"You're so funny. But seriously, you're never going to believe what happened." She didn't wait for a response. She just kept talking. I think it was a freshman thing. "I was just about to ask Will to Homecoming, when, wouldn't you know it? I told him I was going with you instead."

"So that's the real story. Thank God." I injected with a sigh of relief.

"I don't remember that being the plan." Warren stated.

_Wait, there was a plan?_

"Maybe I should have stayed. Then things would make sense to me." I said.

"You just had to make me sit with her." Warren directed at me.

"Don't listen to him. He's just grumpy that we have company." I stage-whispered to Layla. Now that I was becoming part of the loop, I was beginning to like her. She was nice. She looked amused. "Warren, be nice. She's a cute little freshman who needs our help. It will be like that puppy you always wanted." Warren flushed red, making me smile. "And now she has blackmail if we don't help her."

"Why do you want to go along with this? I thought you were against dancing just as much as I am." I nodded. "Then what's going on?"

"Poor Warren gets confused when gatherings such as these take place. He's socially awkward." Layla giggled again, but composed herself when Warren shot her a glare. "And don't be frightened by him. He practices glares in the morning before school. So don't think twice about it. He thinks it keeps the people at bay." Then I turned toward my hotheaded friend. "We're helping her because Will needs to be with her, not Gwen. I'm not sure what we'll do, but we have a few weeks to figure it out. I like Layla, and I don't like Gwen. I'm sure you can read between the lines." Suddenly, one of Layla's friends joined us.

"Hey, Layla, did you do the History homework?" A girl in purple asked.

"What do you think you're doing?" Warren did not like more people.

"It's called sitting." The purple girl replied.

"No one sits here but me." I cleared my throat. "And Charlie."

"Mm-hmm. What did you get for number four?" I smirked at the attitude that defied everything Warred was used to. I liked these girls. They were amusing and knew how to handle Warren even though they didn't know him as well as I did. They did what they wanted, just like Warren and I did. My best friend seemed bewildered by their behavior, as his usual behavior seemed to not affect them. I didn't see anger flash in his eyes, and he didn't look as though he would power up at any second. He looked curious. Another boy sat down.

"Hey, we can sit at Warren's table now? I feel extremely dangerous." It was the orange boy who could melt.

"Whoa, whoa." Warren was getting a little too confused now.

"This guy bothering you, Magenta?" Neon boy sat down next to me.

"Try the other way around." Warren retorted angrily. I giggled.

"Yay! It's like a party now!" I exclaimed happily, doing a happy little dance in my seat. I liked these people. They were fun. They added a bit of adventure to my very routine life.

"Does anyone else need a date for Homecoming?" Warren asked, still mad at being surrounded by people. Ethan, the orange kid raised his hand. I slid down into my seat as Warren looked over at me with an evil grin. Suddenly, Layla started laughing. I thought it was at the behavior between my best friend and me, but then I saw Will with Gwen.

"Warren, you are crazy!" Layla exclaimed. That almost got me laughing myself. Warren looked almost horrified at what was unfolding before him. "Please, I promise, I'll make this as painless as possible." Layla calmed down once Will had walked past.

"So, you're not doing this because you like me or anything." Layla shook her head. "You're doing this to get to Stronghold." A nod. "Then I'm in." A grin took place on Warren's face; something that rarely happened. "But I'm not renting a tux." He leaned in to state the last part, and then got up, done with his lunch.

"Count on prejudice to come in handy." I stated, before getting up myself, and following my best friend.

"Why did you want me to do that?" Warren demanded as we headed toward the lockers. He had an angry expression etched on his face, and he punched the locker right next to my head, startling me. His tall body loomed over me, and I came to believe that as he thought about it, he realized that he had done something stupid.

"Well, you eventually agreed to it." Warren slammed his hand against the wall again, causing me to start as he shot me a death glare. "Because I think Will and Layla should be together. I don't like Gwen. I was being honest back there, Warren. I think Layla is a great girl, and Will is too stupid to see that he has a great best friend, and is missing out on something."

"God, now you're being illogical."

"Would you rather I be cold, distant, and logical?" I replied coldly. "Because I thought you liked me better the other way around."

"Don't start that again, Charlotte." He warned.

"Forget it. It doesn't matter why I want you to do it. You agreed to it because you're so determined to get back at Stronghold because his dad put your dad in jail. Get over it, Warren! It happened, and it's in the past!" Warren looked like he was going to flare up, so I took the precaution and powered up before he did. "Now if you torch me, it won't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you." He calmed down a bit.

"Then don't look at me like you want to kill me for talking about it. You're smart and mature, Warren. You just need to stop focusing on the negative. Yeah, your dad is in jail, and you grew up without a dad, and money is tight. I get that. But you can't blame Will for your problems. It isn't _his_ fault that your dad went evil. And it's not _your_ fault either." We were sitting down now, our legs pulled up close to our chests. "What you're doing isn't even close to illogical. It's downright wrong. And you know it." We were quiet for a few minutes before Warren spoke again.

"I really am curious as to why you want me to do it." I sighed.

"I already told you."

"Yeah, but I thought we made that agreement back in freshman year. I didn't want to go back on that because of everything that just happened."

_Flashback…_

_Charlotte was crying in her room. The day had gone by horribly, and she thought she'd never get over it. Everything had been a waste, and at nearly fifteen years of age, she felt that the world should have ended. Her pillow was soaked through with tears, and she flung it at the door. Her makeup was smeared down her face, and the top of her shirt was matted to her skin. Charlotte was a wreck._

"_Charlotte?" A familiar voice came through the room. The girl in question turned to her window to see her best friend peeping in. "What happened?"_

"_I don't want to talk about it." She moped and flopped back onto her bed, letting out more tears. It would be a while before they stopped. She just had so much water in her system._

"_But I want to hear about it."_

"_No, you don't. It's stupid girl problems."_

"_Well, the thing is, you don't have any girls to confide to. I'm the best you have."_

"_I have my mom." Warren gave her a strange look._

"_You're going to tell your mom what happened? Seriously?" That got a wet smile out of Charlie. "C'mon, I want to know! Tell me the latest gossip!"_

"_You know how Joel asked me to Homecoming?" Warren nodded. "I've liked him for a while now, and we have a few classes together, making it easy for us to talk to each other, and flirt a bit, you know?" Another nod. "Well, he asked me, and of course I said yes. I thought we'd have a great time together. It would be fun."_

"_Then why are you crying?"_

"_Because he asked me last week. A lot can happen in a week." She took a shuddering breath and continued. "Today, I saw him holding hands and kissing Gwen Grayson, and obviously I asked him about it." More tears leaked out. "He told me that he asked me out on a dare, and that he would never consider going to Homecoming with me, or anywhere else. He told me that I was stupid for falling for it, and that maybe if I were pretty, he might like me."_

"_What the hell? What kind of person does that?"_

"_Joel." Charlie hiccupped. "God, I hate them both. Gwen was laughing the entire time. Apparently, she knew all about it."_

"_You confronted him while he was with her?" The sniffling brunette nodded. "Good for you. I'm glad you didn't wait until you were alone; I'm glad that everyone heard. Except me, obviously."_

"_Yeah, well, when he announced that it was a dare, the joke was on me." Warren put his arm around his best friend, not knowing how to comfort a girl, what with him being a guy and all._

"_Let's make a pact." Warren stated. "Let's agree to not give a shit about any school dances. Let's just have a party at either one of our houses during those nights, and have fun by ourselves."_

"_A party with ourselves?"_

"_Why not? It saves us money, time and tears." Charlie nodded in agreement. "No more sexy dresses for you, no more suits for me, and no more assholes thinking they're too cool for you. Just you me, and some infamous movie nights." Charlie laughed._

"_All right. We have to shake on it." Warren spat in his hand, and Charlie did the same. They shook, and plopped on the bed, happy with the world once more._

The rest of the day went by as normal. My mom took me to the doctor, an old family friend, and my mom's theories were confirmed. I was going through another growth spurt, meaning my powers were evolving, and my physical and mental states were as well. I found out I wasn't gaining weight, only muscle. My body was transforming, giving me a slightly billowy look. It was strange for me, since I'd always been a bit voluptuous. The doctor told me I would maintain my curves, as that was my natural body structure, but since my powers pertained to an element, particularly water, my body would basically become that. I guess that explained why Warren was so big and bulky. That's what I imagined fire to be if it had a human form.

My mental state was because of my natural personality, and the way of the water element. Water was supposed to be logical, and rational, and all of the shit. It was part of astrology. It was strange to me that people with abilities and whatnot basically had the same reasoning as regular humans did. We believed in the biology aspect of nature, and we turned to stargazing and astrology to give us answers about our powers. It was an interesting though.

"Dr. Smith? Do you think I could learn something about my real father?" I asked timidly. He was checking my bones for any changes, and also my muscle structure for grace.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, do you know anything about him? Medically, I mean."

"Charlotte, that's kind of classified." My brows furrowed.

"But he's missing. Or deceased. And I'm his biological daughter. I just want to know if he went through the same thing as me. Or if this is just my own way of developing."

"Poseidon, or Kody Bennett, was a very strong boy. He was independent, headstrong, and knew how to use his abilities…to an extent. He went through a similar growth spurt such as your own, however, his moods changed rapidly, and he lost control of his powers at some points. It was very difficult for his parents, since only his father was a Super. His mother didn't know how to deal with a growing child who had superpowers."

"What happened then?"

"Kody was depressed after his mom left." I felt my heart sink with pity for my biological father. "His mental state wasn't up for having these abilities. So he stopped using his powers until they would burst spontaneously, and without warning. It was difficult when he was in the company of non-Supers, or even others with abilities. He got very angry at himself and others. I did what I could to help him as he changed and developed into the Super he became to be. It was no easy task, but we managed as he got older, and met your mother. I think she helped him understand that it was ok to use his powers, and that saving people was what he was born to do.

"So am I like him?"

"So much that it's ridiculous." Was the doctor's response. I wasn't sure what to make of that, though. "But I also see a lot of your mother in you as well. There's so much kindness, and you're so tender. You want to do what's right, and you succeed every time. You've become a beautiful young woman, Charlotte. You can start using that to your advantage too." He gave me a wink and we went out to meet with my mom. Dr. Smith explained to my mom what was going on, and told her not to worry. It would pass with time. I just had to use my powers, and not suppress them.

"Dr. Smith said your powers are coming along beautifully."

"That's good."

"He said you'd become more powerful than Poseidon ever was." That news shocked me. Dr. Smith hadn't mentioned that to me. "Just don't let it get to your head, Charlie. Don't become too confident, because that's when it backfires on you." I nodded. "Be careful with your powers. Ok?" I nodded, knowing that she didn't want to lose someone else she loved too.

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**Thanks so much for all of your reviews! They absolutely made my day every time I read them. Keep on doing what you do and I'll keep doing what I do :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Falling in Love

I took Ben and Sam to the park once I finished my homework. We just hung out, and I let them roam around. Ben was displaying signs of abilities, but the doctors weren't sure what it was yet. I had been an early bloomer, and it was clear that Ben wasn't. But that was all right. Nothing was set in stone until puberty hit… or the summer before freshman year. But with my brothers, I had a feeling I was in for a handful. They were already amazing at their studies, and their social skills were through the roof. It was all quite ridiculous.

I just watched them play. I had to break up a few arguments between them, but other than that, there was peace between my brothers. Sam was so athletic; he swung from the monkey bars like they were nothing and climbed the rock wall like he was floating. Ben was the little engineer. He loved making things in the sand. He was quite creative. It gave me even more insight toward their powers. It also helped me appreciate my family a bit more. I hadn't known about these talents until just today.

"So what did the doctor say?" I was on the phone with Warren later that night. I relayed to him all the information I had obtained that day. Maybe not word for word, but something along those lines. "At least you have nothing to worry about. It'll pass soon."

"Yeah. I was worried I had, like, bi-polar disorder or something. Then I'd have to take pills."

"That would be the day, you taking medicine." I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you've got that problem solved. Now we just have to worry about Homecoming." I sighed. "I'm still not happy that I ended up breaking our pact."

"We don't have to break it. We could just have a movie night or something the night before."

"Yeah, but we agreed to not even go to the dace."

"Well, maybe we should add that if it's to help a friend, then it's ok. Besides, Joel moved, so I'm never going to see him again. And that was probably the main reason you came up with that idea, just so I'd feel better about the stupid incident anyway."

"It worked, didn't it?" I laughed and agreed. "And Gwen is going with Stronghold."

"Well, I guess it can be payback for both of us."

"Yes! You're coming over to the dark side." We both laughed. "MiMi was upset that you weren't there today. She bitched about how my work ethic was poor today."

"Oh, poor MiMi." I cooed. I smiled, even though he couldn't see. "Thanks for being a good friend."

"Thanks for being a sap." He replied huskily.

"No, seriously. I'm trying to tell people how much I appreciate more. I don't do it nearly enough and you've been with me through it all, even when I was bitchy."

"Well, you're not being bitchy anymore. So that's good."

"Exactly. You stuck it out with me. Thanks. Beth would never have done the same thing. I owe you."

"Naw, you've done enough shit for me before. We'll call it even."

"Thanks, Warren. You're the best."

"I know." We both laughed and hung up. I flopped onto my bed, ready for sleep, when I realized something that suddenly seemed vitally important to my existence. There was a reason why I needed Warren to be there. There was a reason why I thanked him for doing so, and there was a reason I let him get away with so many things. It hit me for the first time that I was in love with Warren Peace.

* * *

The rest of the week went by as usual. Or rather, as usual as it could get with the students at Sky High. Gwen continued flirting with Will, getting him wrapped around her girly finger. And the freshmen continued to sit next to Warren and me, making things funny, and allowing me to poke fun at not only my best friend, but myself as well. It had been a while since I'd been comfortable enough to do that. The entire situation made me laugh. Warren was getting back at Will very conspicuously, and I was getting back at Gwen _in_conspicuously. It worked pretty well. Warren and I would ride there together, he would meet up with Layla at the dance, and I would meet up with everyone else. We had to make it seem like Warren and Layla wanted to be alone, while I was just having a good time. Well, as much as I could with it being a school dance and all.

My mom was very surprised to hear that I was going to a Homecoming. She was even more shocked to hear that Warren was going as well. But I think she was secretly pleased that we were overcoming our rebellious social awkwardness. She took me shopping for a dress, even though I told her I could fit into an old dress, or just throw something together.

"No, Charlie. You need a new dress. You're a senior, and I won't have you walking around in old clothes. You need to make a statement. You need to give Sky High your legacy." Mom always got a bit dramatic when it came to the fact that I was a senior, and would be graduating soon. "So we're going somewhere nice to get your dress."

"Mom, I don't want to spend too much. It's only Homecoming."

"I know! I can't wait until we go shopping for prom." I rolled my eyes. "Don't give me that look. You know that's the main reason I wouldn't let you be homeschooled."

"Yeah, unfortunately." I replied. "In case you haven't noticed, my social skills are the same as they would be if I had been taught at home."

"Not true. You wouldn't have met Warren."

"I never wanted to go to Sky High. He and I would still be friends since we met in second grade."

"Charlotte, don't argue with me." Mom replied smoothly. She could control herself when she wanted to. And since we were in public, she wanted to.

Throughout the next couple of hours, my mother held up random dressed that she thought would either look good on me, or that I would like. I had to admit, Mom had a good fashion sense. But I wasn't too preoccupied with my appearance at Homecoming. I felt jittery about my recent epiphany, but since Warren was my best friend, I knew I shouldn't worry about it. Granted, he didn't love me back, so that was a major setback; I'll admit, it hurt to accept that. But I knew that he would stay with me until the end, despite his lack of affection toward me. We would always be friends. So that was somewhat of a comfort. Another comfort to me was that he had once told me that he always thought I looked good, so there was no pressure to become glamorous just to put on a show for him.

That is, until I saw Layla shopping with her mother. She had tried on a green dress with gold straps that wrapped around her pale back. Even with her hair pulled up in a messy creation, she looked good. I felt myself go as green as her dress with envy at her beauty.

"Hi, Charlie!" She greeted me with her typical contagious smile. "How are you? Are you shopping for a dress, too?" I nodded. "Is this your mother?" I nodded again. "Hi, Mrs. Kade. I have to tell you, it's an honor to finally meet you." My mom smiled her most charming smile and thanked my friend for her flattery.

"Please, call me Marie. And is this your mother?" Layla nodded, and the two women began conversing.

"Layla, I thought you didn't like Warren."

"I don't."

"Well, you look stunning in that dress. You might have a hard time keeping his hands off of you at Homecoming." The redhead laughed. "Seriously, that dress looks great on you."

"Thanks, Charlie. Have you found your dress yet?" I shook my head.

"I'm hoping that the store will close, and my mom will let me wear an old dress, or something casual." That started a similar reaction to that of my mother's, and Layla began searching for a dress herself. "Layla! I don't need you to help me find a dress."

"Charlie, your mom has great fashion taste. I can see that just by looking at her. But I've seen what you wear every day to school. I know what you like. Trust me." She was logical. I hated it. But I allowed her to find me a dress. "What's your size?"

"I'm a six. Damn hips." I chuckled.

"I wish I had your curves. This dress was my last hope. It actually makes me look like I have a chest." We laughed together. She handed me a few dresses of her choice, and made me try them on in the dressing room. The first one didn't fit across my chest. The second one was way too big around my waist. "Well, what's the verdict with this one?" Layla asked.

"I'm getting this one." I walked out, and the girls waiting for me agreed unanimously. There shouldn't have been a second guess. My mom paid, and we said goodbye to Layla and her mother as we drove home.

"Are you happy with the dress?" I nodded. "It looked lovely on you."

"Thank you."

"I think Warren is in for a treat."

"What?"

"Warren. He's going to be shocked to bits when he sees you."

"What makes you think he even cares about what I wear?"

"Aren't you two going together?" I shook my head. "Why not?"

"He's going with Layla." I told her.

"Warren's going with a freshman? Don't give me that bullshit, Charlie." I couldn't help but chuckle at her swearing.

"I'm serious. I told him to go with her."

"Why would you do that? Don't you want to go with him?"

"I don't even want to go at all, mom."

"Then why are you going?"

"It's a friend thing." I answered shortly. "It's a long story, and I don't feel like going into details. It's just nonsense that won't matter in a couple of months. By then, everything will have been sorted out."

"High school is a strange thing." My mom muttered. "Well, I hope things work out. You don't need any more drama. You're a senior; you shouldn't have to deal with it." I shrugged. "God, just get with Warren already!"

"Mom!" I exclaimed.

"I'm serious! I've been waiting for you two to get together for so long. I want grandkids!" I was horrified by this behavior.

"Mom, I'm not even eighteen yet! Having a family is the last thing on my mind." I chuckled. "I might not even have kids." It was my mom's turn to be horrified. "Besides, what makes you think I would have children with Warren?" My stomach was twisting up, hoping that my mother wasn't aware of my feelings toward my best friend.

"Because you guys are perfect for each other. You balance each other out. You're the Yin to his Yang. Almost exactly, due to your abilities." She explained. "It's quite obvious you two are in love."

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to hide it from me."

"I'm not hiding anything." I protested. "We're not in love, and we're not dating, and we're certainly not going to have babies together." Mom smirked.

"You say that now. But watch what happens."

"Nope. I'll say that forever until you get the message." I felt myself getting aggravated, but not at my mother, more so at myself. I hated conversations like these. "Warren and I are not a thing, and never will be."

"But you want to be." Mom said quietly. I sighed, knowing that she knew. She didn't need superpowers to know that. She was my mom.

"Yeah. I do." I replied just as quietly.

* * *

**Thanks for all your reviews! I love you guys! :D**


	12. Chapter 12: Pacified

I met up with Warren the next night at the Paper Lantern. MiMi was trying to yell to me in Chinese, but I didn't understand a word she was saying. Warren was trying to translate for me without laughing, but it wasn't working. So all I did was nod and smile.

"It's funny when she's mad at someone else." He told me. I rolled my eyes, but chuckled. "So where were you yesterday? You usually come in around four or five on weekdays."

"I'm not telling you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll just make fun of me."

"Try me."

"My mom took me dress shopping." Warren started cracking up.

"You? In a fancy dress? I've seen you wear skirts, but a formal dress is a whole different story."

"Oh, shut up. You'd better look decent tomorrow."

"Give me one reason why I should."

"Because Layla is going to look gorgeous." I replied. "We met up at the shop earlier, and I saw her dress. She looked really pretty."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because even though you guys aren't going as a real couple, this night is still special for her. I just want you to be nice, and look the part. Make her feel as though not all is lost."

"God, you really like these people."

"They're nice." I answered. "And without trying, they've done a lot for me. I just want to do the same for them." Warren sighed.

"All right. But if people start getting the wrong idea about Hippie and me, then I'm blaming you." I chuckled. Then I saw Dr. Medulla sitting with a set of blonde twins, and Boomer was taking shots.

"That's not something you see every day." I changed the subject. And then I noticed Will looking frantic as he kept on trying to call someone. "Neither is that. Quick! Go and intervene!"

"No!" I took a tray of glasses and handed them to him.

"Now you look inconspicuous. Go and talk to him. Then come back and tell me what happened." I demanded. "It'll be like déjà vu, because you did the same thing with Layla. It's ironic! Hurry, before he gives up and leaves." He growled but did as I said. I began wiping tables so I could hear their conversation. I came in a little late, but I heard Warren ruin our master plan.

"Dude, you're so stupid. She's totally into you."

"Not after tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if she or any of the other guys never want to talk to me ever again."

"Well, you must have been a real jerk." Warren looked smug, and I whacked him with the damp towel to wipe the smirk off his face. Will looked startled, and I couldn't blame him. I didn't exactly make a sane impression on him. So I hurried away. "No matter what I do, I can't get them to stop talking to me."

"Thanks." Will replied dryly.

"I take it you heard everything." Warren came up to me. I nodded.

"I can't believe you told him the plan!" I exclaimed. "You weren't supposed to do that. But did you get any juicy story about what happened?" Warren shook his head. "Damn you, hothead! I need to know details. I'm a woman!"

"Yeah, and I'm a dude. Dudes don't do details."

"Whoa. That was a ton of alliteration." Warren rolled his eyes but grinned. "Well, now that you ruined the plan, it looks like we don't have to go."

"Nope. We're still going."

"What? Why?"

"Because we promised that we'd go. And I thought you wanted to do something nice for those freshies." I nodded. "Then we're going. I have a feeling that the plan may yet still work."

"Warren, the entire plan was for you to get back at Will, then he and Layla would be together by the end of the night, allowing my quiet revenge on Gwen. How will our plan still work?"

"You might be able to get revenge on Gwen." I raised my right eyebrow with a wicked smile on my face.

"What do you propose we do?" And we set to scheming.

* * *

The next day, my mother spent her time fussing over everything concerning the dance. I assured her that I had a ride there, and that everything would be fine. She could go to bed early after her bubble bath. She took me to the nail spa, and we got our nails done together. It was just a French tip on our toes and fingers. I liked not having too much. Then my mother insisted upon doing my hair. She decided that classic wave would give me an elegant look to go with my dress. Then she did my makeup.

"I love having a life-size doll." She cooed. I rolled me eyes, waiting for her to be done. "Don't fidget, I'm almost finished." I sat still long enough for her to finish my cat eyes, then she brushed a bright red shade of lipstick over my bow-shaped lips, plumping them up just a bit. "You look divine, Charlie." I looked in the mirror and saw a whole other person staring back in surprise.

"I've never been one for makeup like this, but I like it. Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome. Now go get your shoes, Warren will be here soon." She winked as I rushed to finish my outfit. The silky, silver material brushed against my ankles as I padded to my room. I slipped into silver ballet flats, and observed my whole being in my full-length mirror. The sweetheart neckline was teasing, but not revealing. And the studded straps wrapped around my neck, exposing my tan back. The material started again at the small of my back, allowing people to see plenty of skin. But I wasn't worried. It would be dark, and I wouldn't be up close with anyone tonight. Zack liked Magenta, and Ethan was too much of a gentleman to try anything.

After just a moment, I heard the doorbell ring, and Scott was letting my best friend in. I heard them talking, and soon, only Scott was.

"Scott, Warren isn't my date." I hollered from my room. "He's just my ride."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, man." Warren chuckled.

"It's cool." I fastened my diamond earrings in and then walked out of my room, satisfied with the final results. "Whoa. You look…great, Charlotte."

"Thanks, Warren. So do you." I took in his appearance to see black slacks, and a white button-down shirt. "I thought you said you weren't renting a tux."

"This is my dad's."

"Well, you can certainly pull it off. Especially with your traditional Vans." He looked down and fidgeted with his feet. "Well, I'm ready to go. I'll see you guys later." My parents hugged me goodbye and we were off.

"Um, I'm not sure if bringing my motorcycle was the best idea." He admitted.

"You brought your motorcycle? How is that even going to get us to Sky High?"

"They gave me a little chip for the engine when I bought my ticket." He replied. I nodded in understanding. "But it's going to get cold." He paused for a moment and then handed me his tuxedo jacket. "There." He grinned, as though he had come up with the cure to the common cold.

"Thanks."

"I think that will suffice until we get there." I nodded and hopped on, making sure my dress didn't get caught in any of the gears. "Do you mind if your hair gets messed up?"

"It's only the bottom that's curled." I answered. "Besides, I think there's enough hairspray in there to last all night, and beyond." Warren chuckled and handed me his helmet. We sped off, and I came to the conclusion that taking a motorcycle to the school was definitely different than taking the bus. I kept a firm grip on Warren's waist, but that was not enough to keep my screams from leaving my throat.

"Will you calm down? I'm not going to let you fall."

"I'm used to a seatbelt." I replied. "And you're waist isn't a very good one." I heard a low growl that must have been a laugh. We landed safely, adding to Warren's cocky attitude, and we headed inside. I gave him back his jacket, and we split up as he went to look for Layla, and I for the other three freshman. I quickly spotted my purple friend standing around, looking bored, and my neon friend dancing like an idiot. I thought of what my mom said about Yin and Yang, and decided that Zack and Magenta could make it. They would be perfect for each other. But then again, was that hypocritical, since I stated that Warren and I would never be together? Maybe not, since I knew that Warren and I would always be best friends. Zack and Magenta would eventually turn into something more. I was sure of it.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed toward the back doors, and everyone turned to see the most famous superheroes of them all.

"Welcome Commander and Jetstream!" The principal announced. The two put on charming smiles as they made their way through the cafeteria. Principal Powers announced that someone's jetpack's lights were still on, and Dr. Medulla made his way outside. I had to chuckle at that. That guy knew how to travel in style. "And now, please help me welcome the head of the Homecoming Committee, the girl who made all this possible, Gwen Grayson." People clapped loudly, and I gave a couple noncommittal claps, not really excited to hear her talk.

"Thank you, Principal Powers. And a very special thank you goes to our guests of honor, and our recipients of our first ever Hero of the Year Award. The Commander and Jetstream." People continued to clap. "As a part of this occasion, we paid a special tribute to the most powerful super being to ever walk to halls of Sky High." God, she knew how kiss ass. She walked over to the side, and flipped over her dress. "Me!" She declared dramatically as electricity surrounded her. Jesus Christ. I shot up from my chair, looking around for my friends, seeing as how they'd left my side to get a better view of the superheroes. I found them over by the buffet table, so I quietly snuck over to them.

A large sign came over her declaring her villainess name. Royal Pain. Seriously? Who came up with a name like that? I can understand royal, since villains think they're better than us, but 'Pain'? Why would you be called that? Then it clicked that she wanted to inflict pain. Right, got it. Not good. A little jester-like man pulled out a box and handed the villainess a weapon of some sorts, causing the Commander and Jetstream to gasp. I could only guess that they knew what it was.

"Royal Pain is a girl?" Apparently the Commander wasn't as quick as he was strong.

"Yes, I'm a girl, you idiot. How I lost to a fool like you, I'll never know. Now prepared to be pacified."

"Wow, menacing word." I muttered. Warren gave me a look that told me to shut up. So I did.

"Do you honestly think you can kill me with that little toy gun of yours?" The Commander asked, trying to buy some time.

"My dear Commander, who said anything about killing you?" Gwen pointed the gun at the Commander and shot. The Commander began shrinking, and soon the whole cafeteria could hear a baby's cries. Jetstream tried to avenge her husband, but only succeeded in getting herself turned into an infant as well. Then another teacher did as well. Royal Pain began shooting at everyone in sight. It was quite ridiculous. Everyone began running to get away from the fury of the senior, but the bullies she hung out with began closing the gates, not letting anyone get away.

"Hothead, find an exit. Get as many out as you can." Boomer told Warren. Warren and I began taking action, following the gym teacher's orders. And right before our eyes, he was changed into a baby. Warren saw an air vent, and threw a fireball at it to break it open. Magenta went in first, and then Layla crawled in after. I went after Layla, and soon, the boys followed.

"Where the hell are we?" Magenta asked.

"Hey, Warren, how about a torch?" Ethan asked

"Only if you want to get barbecued." Was Warren's answer. But a light soon began omitting from something, allowing us to see. I turned around to see that Zack was glowing. I had to admit, that was a pretty cool power. So simple and fun. Maybe that was why he always wore neon clothing.

"Please, if I may." He passed us girls to lead the way.

"Then all the reindeer loved him." Magenta sung. I grinned at that. We hit a dead end, but suddenly, I heard a clicking sound, giving it away that someone had found us. I hoped it wasn't anyone following Royal Pain.

* * *

**And now, the moment everyone's been waiting for! Don't forget to review my lovelies! 3**


	13. Chapter 13: The Awkward Battle

"Guys, you're never going to believe what happened." It had been Will that freed us from the air vent, thank God. But now we had to figure out a plan to stop Royal Pain and her goons. I had noticed that Beth had been hanging out with the bunch lately, although I hadn't seen her tonight. Maybe she had been told the plan, and opted out. But then again, I could be wrong. She might have been helping them. "Gwen-."

"Is Royal Pain's daughter." Layla finished.

"Yeah. And-."

"She stole the pacifier." Warren interrupted.

"Right."

"And she turned everyone into babies, including your mom and dad." Zack stated.

"Ok, that I didn't know." Will admitted.

"I think this is more than even the great Will Stronghold can handle." Layla told her ex-best friend.

"She's right." Will answered. "It's going to take all of us."

"All of who? You, Warren, and Charlie? The rest of us are only sidekicks" Magenta reminded Will.

"Just because you have powers doesn't make you a hero." He replied. "Sometimes it just makes you a jerk. It makes me a jerk. I guess what I'm trying to say is-."

"We get it." Layla interrupted again. "You've been a jerk."

"Layla, in case my Homecoming date ends up killing me tonight, I just want to give you this." He pulled Layla into a kiss, shocking us all. I felt my neck go red at the idea of their public display of affection. My parents loved each other. It was obvious. But they didn't express it to the world. So now seeing it made me feel awkward. It felt like I was intruding on something that should remain private. Or maybe it was me just being awkward when it came to these kinds of situations, especially since I would be incredibly turned on if Warren did that to me.

_Like, right now._

"Aw, isn't that sweet." We turned to our right and saw the goons of Royal Pain crooning at the scene before them. My heart dropped when I saw Beth among them. Despite all that had happened to us and our friendship, it still hurt to know whose side she ended up on. "I hate sweet." Penny stated rudely. Speed laughed evilly, and it sounded like he'd been practicing.

_Awkward._

"You guys are a part of this, too." Will commented. "Why am I not surprised?" Warren stood up defensively in front of us.

"Go take care of Gwen." My best friend told Will. "I'll handle these clowns." Lash and Speed began walking toward my friend menacingly. My heart jerked even more at the thought of my best friend in danger. I knew he was strong enough to take care of himself. But I still worried. Will ran through a wall to get to the source of the evil invasion, and Zack and Magenta hurried out of sight. Warren fired up and ran after Speed. Penny multiplied, while Lash and Beth just stood there. The multiples of Penny took off after Layla, and Lash grabbed Ethan, leaving Beth and me alone.

"So you're a 'villain' now." I stated, using my fingers as quotations.

"I didn't have a choice." Beth replied.

"You always have a choice."

"Not if I wanted to live."

"You'd rather take a part in crime, and live than take a part in doing good, and fighting for what's right?"

"Where's your logic, Charlotte?" She mocked.

"She offered to bring your dad back, didn't she?" Beth laughed.

"Even I know that nothing can bring back the dead."

"Then what persuaded you to do it, huh?"

"The fact that I'm now powerful enough to do this." She manipulated me into the air, and threw me to the back of the hall. She strutted toward me like a model in her stilettos, looking the part in her little black dress. "And this." She threw me up against the lockers, and held me there, using her telekinesis. "And you can't do anything about it."

"Watch me." I used some water from a nearby drinking fountain and manipulated it to my will, thrusting it upon her, dousing her completely. Her makeup was smeared, and it I was smug to see her looking haggard. I used more and more as I took my own time walking toward her. But she was ready for me, and threw me up against the wall again, this time holding me there by my throat, constricting my air pipe. I lifted my arm to use my powers against her again, but she was too quick. She used her ability to keep every molecule in place, not letting me move. It was getting tricky to breathe, and I felt my head getting light.

Until suddenly, I felt something light up inside of me, and with some strange new energy, I lifted my arm once more and used ice on her. Beth wasn't ready for that.

"You can't do that!" She cried out.

"I think I just did." I replied. She had slight cuts of her exposed skin from where the ice had marred her.

"You were never that powerful."

"Growth spurt." I responded lightly. She got up and started using her powers again, but that strange something inside of me made me strong enough to fight it.

"What's wrong with my powers? Why isn't it affecting you?" Beth was getting aggravated at herself, and with her abilities. She took a piece of ice and threw it at me, hoping it would hurt me. My body only absorbed it. I found it quite fascinating to see that my molecules were rearranging. I was essentially becoming water itself, just in a human form.

_This is so cool!_

"This is awesome!" I began throwing water at her full blast, and completely relentless. But she could control those molecules, so she stopped me from hitting her, pounced on me, and began punching me. "So this is how it's going to be? Street fighting? Did you forget where I lived before my mom married Scott?" She punched me again. "An old dog can remember old tricks." I slid my foot up in front of my chest, and kneed her in the face, giving her a bloody nose. She staggered for a moment, allowing me to get to my feet and continue to punch her. She pulled my hair, and clawed at my arms, giving them welts. I used ice on her again, but she kept coming back for more.

"You can't win, Charlie." She told me.

"Oh, yes I can." I grabbed a fistful of hair and brought her face to my knee. It knocked her out immediately. I kneeled by her to see the damage done to my former friend. "Sorry, Beth." I saw a figure in white and black approach me. For a moment I was frightened. But then I saw Warren hold out his hand. I took it so I was no longer kneeling.

"You ok?" I took one look at Beth and nodded. "Ok, let's go."

Layla quickly informed us that Penny had told her that Royal Pain was planning to reverse the anti-gravity device, making sure that the school would fall to the ground. Royal Pain wanted Sky High to be destroyed. Well, that wasn't happening before I graduated. So I was going to stop that from happening.

"Here's the anti-gravity room." Layla has somehow gotten a blueprint of the school, and had now laid it before us. Warren was leaning against the wall, listening intently, though expressing disinterest. I was just glad that he was ok.

"But didn't Royal Pain seal off every route?" Magenta asked.

"Hey, what about this one over here?" Ethan pointed out an air vent.

"Yeah, right. You'd have to be, like, a rat to fit in there." Zack replied. Everyone looked over at Magenta.

_Could she shape shift?"_

"Oh, great." Magenta sighed.

"She can turn into a guinea pig." Layla informed me.

"It's funny how everyone powers are helping us out tonight." I pointed out. "I'm glad I have you with me. Everyone else would have been screwed."

"Speaking of screwed, looks like you got screwed over by Beth twice." Warren stated, observing my cuts, and the forming bruises.

"Naw, I'm the one who knocked her out." He grinned at that.

"You're doing great, Magenta!" Zack called out words of encouragement.

"Aw, they're so cute." I muttered to Warren. He only rolled his eyes.

"Look at those cute little legs." I snickered as Zack only added to the cute freshman stereotype. "Ok, go about ten feet, and then there should be an opening on your right. Find the axis panel; it leads you right to the generator."

"I'm on it." Magenta replied in a squeaky little voice. Warren and Layla decided to run off to find Will, who was fighting Royal Pain, and their fight could be heard throughout the whole school. I heard a shattering of glass, and then a feminine cry. That was not good. So I ditched Zack and Ethan and ran to the cafeteria, where Warren and Layla were looking distraught at the broken window. Will wasn't in sight, so I could only guess who had broken the window.

"And there goes your last chance at stopping me." Royal Pain announced.

"We'll see about that." Layla warned. Warren held her back as I stepped forward and used my powers against Royal Pain. But I forgot something. Something that was important. Electricity and water do not mix. Gwen used her abilities and it shocked me completely, causing my head to burn, and my legs to get weak. I fell to the floor, and before my vision went black, I saw Will flying in through the window. What a way to pass out.

* * *

**Hey guys, guess what? Today was my last day of high school. How awesome, right? XD**


	14. Chapter 14: Heat

When I came to, Warren was sitting next to me. I groaned as my focus came into place, and I sat up.

"Hey, be careful. That was quite a shock."

"Pun intended?" I asked. Warren chuckled.

"No. No pun intended."

"Wait, so what happened?"

"Well, Will fell off the face of the school-."

"No, I remember that part. I meant, what happened after I passed out?"

"Apparently Will can fly."

"So that's what I saw." Something clicked. "Hey, you used his first name!"

"So?"

"That means that I was right."

"You were right about what?"

"That the fight a few weeks ago was the start of a beautiful friendship." Warren laughed and hugged me. "Warren? Are you ok? You're not one for PDA." I felt his forehead. "You're warm."

"I'm always warm."

"Why are you hugging me?"

"Because I'm glad you're ok." He mumbled into my hair. "I was worried when Royal Pain hit you with electricity. God, why didn't you think about the consequences? You could have been killed!"

"Yeah, I kind of thought about that only after I used my powers." I paused. "I guess that means I'm back to being my illogical self." That made Warren smile.

"Yeah, I guess you are." He stood up, and helped me up.

"So is everyone ok now? Is everyone at their normal age?" Warren nodded. We wondered out toward the hall and saw everyone mingling, and Principal Powers trying to establish order. We saw Will talking to his parents, and it seemed that they were letting him know that it was ok. He had saved the day.

"I didn't do it by myself." He admitted. One of the teachers was talking to the Commander and Jetstream, and was talking about the award.

"I'd be honored to accept this award." The Commander stated. "But this doesn't belong to us." The superheroes turned to where Warren and I were standing, and where everyone else had joined us.

"It belongs to them." Jetstream finished. "The sidekicks." I looked around. "I mean, hero support."

"Why don't we just call them what they really are, Josie? Heroes." Our friends took a hold of the little trophy, and I couldn't be more proud to call them just that: my friends.

"I told you they were awesome." I commented to Warren.

"And you were right." He admitted with a smile. We all walked back into the cafeteria to hear Dr. Medulla making a speech about destroying the pacifier.

"Let's boogie!" He shouted, turning the music on. Everyone began dancing as though nothing had happened. Which was good, I guess. Things were set right again. And Royal Pain was being taken care of, along with her goons. But that included Beth. I'm not entirely sure what had happened to convince Beth that Gwen's way was the way to go, but she chose it, and would now be punished. I felt sorry that I had blown up on her, and believed that if I hadn't, we might still be friends, and she wouldn't have gone with Gwen. But there was no changing time. What was done was done. I looked over at Warren, who was just standing there, staring at me.

"What?" He smiled sheepishly.

"Do you wanna dance?" I smiled, and held out my hand, that was all icy. He held out his own that was covered in fire, and we thawed each other out. He took me to the dance floor as a slow song started, and he wrapped his right arm around my waist, and his other took my left hand. My right hand was placed on his shoulder, and we held a modest distant between us as we swayed to the music. He sighed and pulled me closer. It was like we were hugging, but we were still swaying.

"What's wrong?"

"What I said earlier, I meant it. You almost died."

"But I'm alive." I told him.

"Yeah, but it was scary." He admitted. "I don't think you know what it was like, thinking you might not wake up. And even now, you look like death."

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, you've got blood on you, and you've got bruises. You're a trooper." His warms hands were placed on my upper arms, and he felt the welts there that had bled through. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Warren, we're superheroes. We're bound to get hurt. I didn't play it safe, and we started street fighting. Beth wouldn't give up. And neither would I." He held me close again.

"Stop being illogical." He breathed. His breath smelled like cinnamon; like he'd been chewing gum. It was good. His scent of musk mixed in, and I felt my knees grow weak. I kept in a whimper of vulnerability, not allowing my emotions to get the better of me.

"If I started being logical, then I wouldn't want you to kiss me right now." I admitted.

"Never mind. Go ahead and be illogical." The collision of the kiss was amazing. I'd been kissed before, but not like this. His warm lips melded with mine, creating the most amazing sensation. I'd been craving this for a while, although not really being aware of it, and felt the desire heat me up from the tips of my toes. Or maybe that was just Warren. Either way, I welcomed it open heartedly.

* * *

**Can you believe it? It's finally finished. Now, I'm going to continue to edit Almighty, which is the sequel to this. However, I will not be posting it until I'm finished, which might take some time. However, with this new laptop I got for graduation, I will have a lot more time and freedom to write, which is totally awesome. I cannot thank you all enough for sticking with me until this point, especially if you started reading this when I very first started posting.**

**Thank you sooooooo much for all the reviews and the messages with criticism, notes and just plain joy that this story had been written. you guys are seriously amazing. OH! Before I forget, if you want a look at the cast, go look at my profile. You'll have to copy and paste because I'm not technologically savvy, so...yeah. I hope you liked it!  
**


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